Photo by Bart Everson.
I’m sure I’m not the only person who neglected to celebrate World News Day on Monday, September 28… a day when “more than 1,000 newsrooms in over 100 countries unite to defend trusted journalism” — according to an email I got from the Colorado Sun news website.
More than 1,000 newsrooms. That’s a lot of newsrooms.
Sadly, the Daily Post was not among them. And for that, I blame myself. I just wasn’t paying attention. As usual.
But also, we don’t actually have a ‘newsroom’ at the Daily Post. We work out of bedroom offices and coffee shops, mostly. Who can afford to rent an office? Not us.
Sure, our editor could have posted a rousing editorial on Monday about World News Day (from his bedroom office) but like me, he obviously wasn’t paying attention. Too focused on incidental activities in his little hometown, and oblivious to what’s going on in the rest of the journalistic universe — in “more than 100 countries” where journalists care about the big issues, and about World News Day.
I find it hard to believe, however, that all of those “more than 1,000 newsrooms” were sites of “trusted journalism”. If I know anything about journalism (and that’s admittedly open to debate) those of us engaged in reporting the news are unlikely to be “trusted” any farther then they can throw us.
Witness the White House proudly announcing on September 18 that news organizations CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were forthwith banned from the White House grounds, citing “constant reporting of FAKE NEWS” as the reason for the ban.
You simply can’t run an authoritarian government properly when news organizations are totally making up stories about you.
I found this social media post (above) on the New York Post website, so we might be tempted to take the news with a grain of salt. It could very well be FAKE. Coming as it does from a newsroom.
As mentioned, the Pagosa Daily Post does not have a newsroom, as such. The whole world is my newsroom.
The Colorado Sun thoughtfully reminded me about World News Day on Monday, apparently unaware that the whole world is my newsroom, and that “1,000 newsrooms” is pretty much just a drop in the bucket compared to the whole world.
Unfortunately, I slept in on Monday and didn’t see the Sun email until Tuesday, so — like I said — I missed celebrating World News Day. But so did most of the world, especially all the people who slept in and didn’t check their emails.
That means that most people also missed the 40-second video about Trusted Journalism.
I presume the President also missed this video.
But after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to restore access for those three offending news outlets for at least two weeks as litigation played out, the President posted a joke on social media.
The New York Post again shared the posting, indicating that the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room would be converted back into a White House swimming pool, the way it was back when FDR was president.
This would certainly lessen the ability of trusted journalists to bother the President.
And, swimming is good exercise.
In 1969, President Richard Nixon had the indoor swimming pool — installed by the March of Dimes for Franklin D. Roosevelt — covered and turned into press offices and a lounge that could double as a briefing room.
For a while at least, news was more important than swimming. But maybe things are changing.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.