When Ronald Reagan quipped during a mic check, “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes”, it was the kind of joke an alert press corps could write off with ease. A mere transcript of the words would have been a disservice; real, knowledgeable people could hear his tone of voice and distinguish with ease between fact and punch line.
■ The press corps may not be employed by the government, but they are indispensable to its proper function. Independent verification of the welfare and whereabouts of people like the Constitutional officers alone is a service that no serious government could do without. A press corps that really does its duty is more than just an amplifier for official statements; it’s an independent source of validation that what we are told is true really is.
■ So it is more than a small problem that three reputable news organizations have been denied access to the White House. It’s a decision entirely based in a complaint about editorial content, not some higher moral claim.
■ We are known by the company we keep. We are also known by the company we leave behind. The Army Ranger Creed says, in part, “I will never leave a fallen comrade”, which is a promise of even more gravity than the promise to fight. Who chooses to stay in the room when others are arbitrarily kicked out ought to color their reputations for some time to come.
■ We don’t need preening or self-aggrandizement. Nor do we need self-righteous declarations or exaggerated appeals to solidarity. We simply need to know that the news media has enough self-respect to know that the standards we choose reflect back on us.
■ In the words of Maimonides, “Man is created in such a way that his character traits and actions are influenced by his neighbors and friends, and he follows the custom of the people in his country. Therefore a man needs to associate with the just and be with the wise continually in order to learn [from] their actions, and to keep away from the wicked, who walk in darkness, so that he avoids learning from their actions.”