Kentucky Newspapers Windows Shattered Amid Rising Anti-Press Climate - HuffPost

[ffr]

The Lexington Herald-Leader is staying “vigilant” after several of its windows were shattered Sunday morning, Editor Peter Baniak said Monday.

Police believe the damage is consistent with small-caliber bullet fire. No one was hurt in the incident, and authorities are investigating it as criminal mischief, the Herald-Leader reported.

“We need to keep doing what we do because it’s that important,” Baniak told HuffPost, adding that the paper’s staff “can’t be deterred from doing the work that we do because of an act of vandalism.”

The motive of the perpetrator, or perpetrators, is still unknown. But Sunday’s crime occurred amid increasing anti-press rhetoric and even some violence against members of the media.

Montana Republican Greg Gianforte attacked journalist Ben Jacobs Wednesday before going on to win a Congressional election Thursday. Jacobs was the fourth reporter to either be manhandled or arrested in May for questioning candidates and public officials.
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pResident dOnald tRump, who ran the most anti-press presidential campaign in recent memory, has continued trying to delegitimize the press while in office. On Sunday he again took a page from Stalin in labeling the “fake news” media as the “enemy.” - Huffington Post

Looking back at history, the 1930s can tell us about one such individual who also had an adversarial roll with the press:

The Nazis and the media

Opposition to Hitler is often studied in its political sense, analysing Hitler’s enemies among the communists and republicans. However, little consideration is given to media’s attitude towards Hitler in the Interwar Period.

The Nazis viewed the press only through the lenses of propaganda and censorship. Nazi Germany censored all opposition in the press, and dissenting voices were sent to concentration camps, were murdered in broad daylight or simply went “missing” abruptly. Due to the crackdown on freedom of the press, it was impossible for any newspaper to halt or oppose Hitler’s steps in the 1930s. - TheLogicalIndian

[samnsara]

1. my father was a newpaper man all his life...

..started out as a printer then reporter then editor then ran his own newspaper. He raised a family of 5 on that meager salary (a printer all that time). He is now 91..a Veteran of WW11 and Korea...and he has been a life long Republican (mom is a Dem so 2/3 of us kids followed her). He ran his own paper out of his house and used his home address and telephone number a a contact. I can ONLY IMAGINE what would happen to him, my mom and their business or home if he was a reporter today. Thank God.......

[get the red out]

2. Crap

I didn't pay attention to local news this weekend, Lexington is usually more genteel! We have a large university in town and a lot of educated people. I guess the wretched element took their marching orders seriously.

On the flip side, I have been told that over at the university, the College of Communications is projecting lot of growth, could students be impressed by some of the real reporting we have seen lately? I hope!