A coalition of more than three-dozen journalism, civil-rights and consumer-rights organisations released a letter Thursday, 15 August, calling on news outlets to do a much better job reporting on rising authoritarianism and threats to democracy in the U.S. Led by Free Press, the coalition includes Media Matters for America, Hearken, MediaJustice and the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
A Call to Action to Media Executives:
We, more than three-dozen civil-society, consumer-rights and journalistic organizations, write with an urgent call for news outlets to accurately and unapologetically report on U.S. elections, the state of our democracy and civil rights. Following the assassination attempt on former President Trump, some pundits and politicians have suggested that the media refrain from covering mounting authoritarianism in this country. We urge news outlets to wholeheartedly reject such a dereliction of journalistic duty, and to rigorously report threats to our democracy.
Media coverage shapes both public discourse and people’s understanding of events of the day. This is particularly critical during contentious and extreme times such as these. Media coverage can invite public engagement and robust participation in the democratic process. It can also be manipulated to promote falsehoods for political gain, to silence dissent and stoke racism.
