We're getting a little meta here, but that's what this era calls for. With the president of the United States not only dismissing credible media reports as "fake news" but also calling journalists "the enemy of the people," media outlets are doing a few things.
The Weekly is joining with some 350 newspapers around the country on Aug. 16 as part of an initiative by the Boston Globe to take stand up for ourselves. We're joining in with this "Free Speech" column, and with this collection of links to past stories we've written dealing with matters of press freedom and access, as well as the inner workings of our newspaper.
To see the complete collection, and read the Globe's take on the crucial role of the media in democracy, go to bostonglobe.com/freepress, where you'll land on a page titled, "Journalists are not the enemy."
Besides joining in with 350 other newspapers across the country in stating unequivocally, we are not the enemy, the Weekly is regularly doing what we can to be transparent to our readers about our newsgathering process. We launched our "Free Speech" column just after the 2016 election. (You can read those at mcweekly.com/news/the_buzz.)
Here, we've compiled links to recent stories covering the freedom of the press, and our effort to be transparent about how our own newspaper operates.
Another component of being accountable to our readers is printing corrections when called for. We strive for 100-percent accuracy—and yes, there are still facts—sometimes we miss the mark. When we do, we aim to make it clear to our readers.
And we invite your feedback any time. You can write in or call anyone in our editorial department. We regularly publish your letters—including those that are critical of our coverage and editorial decisions we make. Submit letters to letters@mcweekly.com, and let us know how you think we're doing.
But on one point, we hope you'll agree: We are not the enemy.
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Sara Rubin
Sara Rubin loves long public meetings, red pens and reading (on newsprint). She has been editor of the Monterey County Weekly since 2016, and has been on staff since 2010.
(1) comment
You failed to capitalize President. You (and the rest of the media) want to be respected as a news organization? Show respect. Report the truth.
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