As mainstream media watchdogs shirk their responsibilities, voters must speak up for themselves

I’ve covered the presidential race extensively, from President Joe Biden’s Valley Forge visit in January to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I covered a recent Kamala Harris visit to Philadelphia, and questioned Sen. Tim Scott about Donald Trump’s threat to defund schools that teach about slavery.

I did so because I am a journalist, and I care deeply about the direction of our country. That’s why it saddened me to see two of America’s most trusted media outlets — The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times — refuse to endorse a presidential candidate under pressure from their billionaire owners. After that shocking moment transpired, it’s clear to me that the watchdogs that once protected us are few and far between.

Thus, the American people must now stand up for themselves, and there is only one place to do so — at the polls.

In times like these, when some journalistic outlets seem to function as echo chambers for the far right, while others help to normalize hate by refusing to forcefully call it out, it’s no wonder there is mistrust of mainstream media outlets.

Unfortunately, that lack of public confidence has left an information vacuum that’s been filled by social media platforms. But just like The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times — newspapers that pulled their Kamala Harris presidential endorsements at the behest of their owners — much of social media is controlled by billionaires.

Donald Trump-supporter Elon Musk owns X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and Trump himself controls the ironically-named Truth Social. With unchecked access to millions of people, both men can instantly broadcast misinformation, calls to violence, or both. That’s dangerous.

Yet, in America, we only seem to recognize the perils of media if it’s controlled by a foreign entity, like Chinese-owned TikTok. The company, which has been roundly criticized by politicians on both sides of the aisle, is among the most popular sources of news and information for young Americans. Are politicians correct when they call the company a national security threat?

Given the amount of consumer information such platforms collect, I think they have a point. However, when Trump uses social media to declare his hatred for Kamala Harris supporters like Taylor Swift, we brush it off as simply politics. But as we learned on Jan. 6, 2021, social media and politics can quickly lead to violence, and virtually nothing threatens our national security more than that.

The watchdogs that once protected us are few and far between.

In an atmosphere where information can traverse the world in a split second, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe — a speaker at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally — called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and changed the tenor of the presidential race. Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and other major Puerto Rican stars with millions of followers took to social media to denounce Trump.

For a moment, the outrage that was generated by the patently racist joke changed the tide of the presidential race. Then Joe Biden used the word “garbage” in relation to Trump’s supporters and turned the tide right back. It didn’t matter that the White House tried to reframe Biden’s words. The damage was already done.

Similarly, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times may have significantly harmed the reputation of mainstream media. By refusing to take a stand in an election where the choice is so stark, those outlets, and others that have chosen to remain silent, have abandoned those who are desperately seeking context.

The people should hear from those who have access to candidates, documents, and sources. Our readers should have the benefit of knowing what we’ve learned, and what we think about it, and political leaders should know that someone outside the realm of government is holding them accountable.

America’s founders were far from perfect. But even as their high-minded rhetoric about freedom stood in contrast to the evils of slavery, the men who founded America knew that their own liberty could only be guaranteed by a free press. They’d seen English kings become tyrants with unchecked power, so they enshrined the freedom of the press in the Constitution.

That freedom has been put to the test by billionaires who successfully silenced the mightiest of media outlets. In the coming days, as the results of the presidential election wash over the American people, the press will once again be tested. My prayer is that we have the courage to do what’s right.