Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Your Freedom...And Mine!

This past May third was World Press Freedom Day, declared  by the UN to call attention to the importance of press freedom for all of us. You probably didn't hear about it in your local news media; I didn't. Local journalists tend to ignore these things, even a lot of First Amendment stories--too busy with pickpockets in Lancaster, or celebrity divorces (which is their perfect right to report while "free.")

Some people think the First Amendment is just for reporters.  No, we may exercise that part of the amendment more than others, but we do so for you. Not just journalists practice freedom of religion, assembly, petition, etc. also you do too.


They're still killing reporters everywhere, including a young lady journalist shot "by accident" in the latest outbreak of "The Troubles" in N. Ireland.
And in Myanmar (once Burma) 2 Reuters reports were released after 7 years in jail. They were charged with possessing government documents after two policemen invited them to lunch, passed them a sealed document, and before they could even open it, were arrested. 
It sure sounds like a set-up to me, especially after the pair had been reporting on Burma's own Holocaust against a Muslim sect for which they won a Pulitzer prize. So far as I know, the police pair were never charged.

We journalists have had our share of real characters in our business. I was mentored by one of them, hired a few of them, and got to know a great Kentucky journalist through his writings. Celebrate press freedom this week by reading an account of his recent death; it's in the Wednesday, May 8th edition of the  Louisville Courier Journal, and it's a wonderful read--reminding all of us of our goal of "comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable" (rather than coming up with some new business plan for these trying days.)  Google: "Filiatreau, a former Courier Journal writer and editor, dies"


And please feel free to pass it on to friends and anyone who might enjoy it as a reminder of the importance of journalism these days---and always.

I'm just sayin'...

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