Am I really your enemy? I know I’m not.
Published in the Leader on Jan. 31, 2019.
I used to be able to ignore comments calling today’s journalism fake news and journalists themselves the enemy of the people.
I used to laugh it off, telling myself the people hurling those insults were uninformed or just being mean. I used to wear protective blinders.
But recent experiences in my own life have convinced me I need to explain why hateful comments about the media are untrue and hurtful.
I am not a journalist for my own amusement. I chose my career path to serve the people in my community. I go to governmental meetings, asking questions when something doesn’t add up, making sure elected officials are doing the job voters asked them to do. I am here for the community; how could members of that community believe I am their enemy?
My blinders were ripped off last year when I covered my first presidential rally.
I was working as news editor for the student-run newspaper on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University and I got the opportunity to cover a Make America Great Again rally in Springfield, Mo.
Given my status as a student journalist, I admit I was excited. Many journalists go their whole career without an assignment like that. I had no idea what to expect, but I thought the TV coverage I had seen of people yelling at the media area during rallies probably made it look worse than it really is.
Oh, how wrong I was. People constantly yelled and made unkind gestures at everyone in the media area. Secret Service agents assigned to protect us advised us to stay in the designated spot for our safety.
One man made an indelible impression on me. He was yelling and screaming at the media area, trying to get someone’s attention. He captured mine, so I looked at him and acknowledged him. He yelled, “You’re fake news!” And he flipped me off with both hands.
All I could do was turn around. I was stunned.
This man had no idea who I was or who I worked for. All he knew was I was a member of the media and that made me an enemy. He had no idea how I vote in elections, but I knew he was assuming.
He had no idea I was just a college journalist trying to get some experience. He had no idea my paper normally stuck to covering a college campus, not national politics. In his eyes, I was a member of the evil media.
I left the rally exhausted and a bit heartbroken. I kept thinking, how could people think what I do isn’t for them? How could people be so mean to others just doing their jobs?
A month later, I learned I would be covering another rally. In my last college semester, I started working as a reporter for KRCU, Cape Girardeau’s NPR station.
I told myself I would be more prepared mentally for this rally. I realized I might be on the receiving end of even more hate because I’d be identified with a media outlet many Trump supporters dislike.
I thought I was ready. But I hadn’t anticipated how I would feel seeing people I know interspersed in the crowd.
I started receiving calls and texts from close friends. My phone blinked with, “Hey, girl! Look over to your left. I am waving.”
I saw fellow students I have shared meals and classes with. They were waving and smiling brightly. I waved and smiled back.
And when the chants of “fake news” and “CNN sucks” started, my friends joined in.
I wondered, do my friends view me as the enemy? Sadly, I knew the answer was yes. People I had created a connection with were nice to my face about what I do, but in a crowd, they didn’t mind trashing me.
One-on-one, people at both rallies were kind to me, but the group as a whole was hateful and mean. Anyone who was willing to try to report on the rally was automatically the enemy.
I now go out of my way to try to explain to people how journalism works. I tell them the journalists in your community aren’t making things up to shape your opinion. Instead, our goal is to be your friend – telling your stories, looking out for how your tax dollars are spent, describing government programs so you can decide whether they are working for you or against you, and doing our best to protect our democracy.
People who consider me the enemy forget that I, and other journalists, live in our communities and our country. We want the best for America.
I decided to make a statement at graduation. I hot-glued foam letters in all-capital letters on my cap: NOT THE ENEMY.
I wanted people to stop and think: “Is media – mainstream, like NPR, and local, like the Leader – really my enemy? Or, does it provide me with information that helps me make informed decisions in everyday life and at the voting booth?”
There are real people on the other side of that label.
