FROM THE PUBLISHER ’ S DESK
Free press and public discussion
Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers , or newspapers without a government , I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter ,” Thomas Jefferson famously wrote to his friend .
Perhaps , the best quotes about free press being the hallmark of democracy have been said , oft-repeated or reinvented with their core essence remaining intact . We pull them out of the quotes inventory and refresh them each time the First Amendment is assailed . Time and again , the press is being challenged and defended . In the Trump era , this has become a regular routine .
Twitter has become a battlefield and President Trump ’ s attack post , from where he constantly fires a salvo of taunts at the Fourth Branch , whom he calls “ the enemy of the people ” who are “ very dangerous and sick .”
“ Criticizing the news media — for underplaying or overplaying stories , for getting something wrong — is entirely right ,” the New York Times wrote in its Aug . 15 editorial . “ News reporters and editors are human , and make mistakes . Correcting them is core to our job . But insisting that truths you don ’ t like are ‘ fake news ’ is dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy . And calling journalists the ‘ enemy of the people ’ is dangerous , period .”
The New York Times is among the more than 350 U . S . media organizations that published editorials — coordinated by The Boston Globe — denouncing the presidential “ war against the free press .”
“ The press is neither the enemy of the people nor its ally , but rather its possession ,” The Atlantic said in its editorial titled , “ The Freedom of the Press is Yours .” In the same vein , the Valencia County News-Bulletin in Belen , New Mexico , wrote , “ We are not the enemy of the people ; we are the people .”
While the Pacific islands media may be outside of Trump ’ s firing zone , the journalism industry this part of the world has its own battle to fight .
Suppression of free speech is most blatant in Nauru , whose government has zero-tolerance for dissent . In July , the Nauruan government banned journalists from the Australia Broadcasting Corp . from entering the country “ under any circumstances ,” citing the organization ’ s “ blatant interference in Nauru ’ s domestic politics prior to the 2016 election , harassment of and lack of respect toward our president in Australia , false and defamatory allegations against members of our government , and continued biased and false reporting about our country .”
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Elsewhere in the Micronesia region , where some of the small independent publications are run by expats , some journalists have more difficult choices to make .
A couple of years ago , FSM has set a precedent for declaring a journalist persona non grata .
In Palau , a foreign journalist was threatened with deportation some years ago for her hard-hitting stories involving the administration .
In another island , the editor of one of our partner publications is faced with the dilemma of exposing the labor abuse perpetrated by an influential group and “ protecting me and my family .” He confessed , “ It ’ s causing me great pain for those people who are suffering . It ’ s despicable and I feel helpless .”
Attacks on the press are particularly threatening to small independent publications that struggle to survive amid the industry ’ s economic uncertainty . Guam , though a U . S . territory supposedly protected by First Amendment , is not immune to such a predicament . Given Guam ’ s small market , where there is a thin line between business and government , operating a media outlet is much more challenging .
I ’ ve seen this many times when I was editor of the now-defunct Marianas Variety-Guam , which for more than 10 years operated on survival mode because then publisher Amier Younis refused , repeatedly and rightfully , to succumb to the pressure of advertisers .
And now running my own self-funded publication , the painful economic aspect of journalism becomes even more real and intimate . Recently , a certain advertiser pulled the rug under my feet . They cancelled their already signed contract following the Pacific Island Times ’ publication of an article they conveniently called “ fake news .”
Despite these challenges , the Pacific Island Times — now going on its second year — is determined to hold out as long as it can .
“ Public discussion is a political duty ,” the New York Times editorial reads , citing a 1964 Supreme Court decision , “ That discussion must be ‘ uninhibited , robust , and wide-open ,’ and ‘ may well include vehement , caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials .’
In reality , free press exists , but there may be consequences . Just the same , our team will continue telling the story and exploring the truth . We are joining our national counterparts in upholding free speech .
Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Mar-Vic Cagurangan publisher @ pacificislandtimes . com
Associate Editor Bruce Lloyd editor @ pacificislandtimes . com
Associate Editor ( Pacific Note / Palau ) Ongerung Kambes Kesolei okkesolei @ gmail . com
Palau Bureau Chief Bernadette Carreon carreon . bernadette @ gmail . com
Contributing Writers Raquel Bagnol Craig Burns Zaldy Dandan Jayne Flores Bruce Hil Joyce McClure Denise Mendiola Diana Mendoza Joseph Meyers Alex Rhowuniong Johanna Salinas
Visual Editor Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Sales and Marketing Executive Jan SN Furukawa jan @ pacificislandtimes . com
Account Executive Anna Marie Alegre sales @ pacificislandtimes . com
Administraitive Assistant Lolita Therrel lolitsky @ yahoo . com
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P . O . Box 1880 Koror , Palau 96940 Telephone 680-7794304
The Pacific Island Times is published monthly and circulated in Guam and Palau by the Pacific Independent News Service LLC . Editorial and advertising submissions become property of the Pacific Island Times and cannot be lifted without consent of the publisher . Views and opinions from contributors do not necessarily represent the editorial position of the Pacific Island Times .