Free press is only thing standing between Americans, authoritarian rule
The election is over, and by now Democrats should have moved through all the stages of grief. Donald Trump will be our next POTUS; it’s time to move on with our lives.
Expressing your opinions in emails to Congress is good. But with Republicans in the majority, Democrat voices will be muted. So, while these suggestions will make us feel better, they probably won’t do much to change the policies of a Trump presidency. Is there nothing that we can do to guard against tyranny?
Yes, there is something each of us can do to protect our democratic freedoms. Subscribe to a newspaper.
A free press is really the only thing standing between us and authoritarian rule. And getting your news free from the internet isn’t the same thing. Why? Because most of this “news” isn’t even remotely connected to objective facts.
While I have no connection to either of these cities, I am now an e-subscriber to both The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Why? Because, if we don’t invest in these news businesses, we’re not going to get the investigative reporting needed to uncover the next Watergate. As a veteran, I can assure you, freedom isn’t free.
Paul Worsham, Arroyo Grande
This story was originally published November 27, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Free press is only thing standing between Americans, authoritarian rule."