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Journalists Band Together Under #NotTheEnemy After Trump’s Disturbing Tweet

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At Trump’s terrifyingly unhinged and dictatorial press conference, he railed against members of the press as “dishonest people” who create “fake news” and don’t give him the coverage he wants. Today, a tweet took this reckless rhetoric to the next level of authoritarianism.

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That “enemy of the…people” language is straight out of the fascist playbook. I never thought I would hear a U.S. president say something so bluntly, viciously authoritarian in my lifetime.

Journalists have responded to Trump’s attack with the hashtag #NotTheEnemy, which reminds Americans of the crucial public good that a free press provides, as well as the human cost of providing that service.

Some of the tweets focused on historic precedent: excerpts from the Constitution, references to Nixon’s hatred of the press, and quotes from past presidents.

Other posts paid tribute to the thousands of journalists who have been attacked or killed while doing their jobs–including those who reported on political corruption.

Trump’s attitude toward the press is increasingly disturbing, and no one in the administration is checking his reckless rhetoric. It’s high time for someone in the White House to condemn and curb this language–but we all know that, unlike the journalists honored here, they don’t have the courage.

(Via Twitter and The Huffington Post; image via Warner Brothers Animation)

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