“I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world.” —Rainer Maria Rilke
In the 1960s, like many of other young men, I was terrified at the prospect of being drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight in a war I didn’t believe in. And that prospect also made me very angry.
When I was a freshman in college, a small but insistent minority of students protested against the war and organized to convince more of us to join their ranks. At the same time, other students were joining in civil rights marches led by Martin Luther King and wanted to do something about racism in our society.
Our the four years I was in school, the ranks of students willing to join the antiwar and civil rights demonstrations grew considerably until it felt like we were in the majority, though mathematically that was never the case. We were, however, in the words of the writer Jack Newfield, “A Prophetic Minority.”
Other movements emerged, led by feminist, LBGTQ and environmental activists. Since we were young, we underestimated how difficult it would be to achieve the fundamental changes we sought. We met plenty of resistance, which made some of us angrier and more determined to fight for change.
During those years, I read everything I could find about all of these issues and participated in protests for a while, though as I was finding my way as a journalist, increasingly I began covering the demonstrations rather than take part in them.
Our generation didn’t necessarily see a conflict between activism and journalism at first, although as we grew older and more experienced our attitudes evolved. By twenty years after my graduation, many media executives were actively prohibiting student journalists and young reporters from even attending demonstrations —to avoid any appearance of bias or conflict on contentious issues.
Those with my type of history were not happy about this but we gradually adapted and recommended that our interns and students and new hires make a difficult ethical choice. We told them if they wanted to be successful journalists they had to guard their credibility by not participating in demonstrations. Otherwise they would be seen as partisans, which might end up hurting their careers.
Fast forward to today. We have a President who tries to intimidate and silence journalists at every turn. Major media institutions like CBS appear to be caving in to his threats to take away their broadcast licenses and worse. Therefore, this would not appear to be an ideal time for young people to be entering the field.
But I disagree. This is a good moment to become a journalist. Our society needs you — urgently. So what is to be done about remaining impartial under these circumstances?
There is no reason to be open-minded or neutral about something as critical as witnessing our democracy slip into an autocracy. This beyond any challenge to journalistic ethics my generation ever faced. If it comes to that, you’ll have to know where you stand. It will be critical to build close connections with other journalists, young and old, as we all work our way through the difficult period ahead.
But our role as journalists is clear.
To tell the truth no matter who tries to silence us.
HEADLINES:
The Economy Avoided a Recession in 2025, but Many Americans Are Reeling (NYT)
Trump halts wind projects, including Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CNBC)
CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulls 60 Minutes piece on Trump deportation policy hours before air (PBS)
ICE agents in Twin Cities open fire after being hit by SUV (CNN)
Trump’s Tariffs and the Secondary Global Damage (Asia Sentinel)
Russian general killed by bomb under his car in Moscow (AP)
Trump Appointment of Greenland Envoy Draws Angry Response From Denmark (WSJ)
Denmark ‘deeply upset’ by Trump’s appointment of Greenland envoy who wants island to be part of US (CNN)
Trump’s Venezuelan-Tanker Gamble (Atlantic)
Japan took the final step to allow the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world’s largest, to resume operations with a regional vote, a watershed moment in the country’s return to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. (Reuters)
‘I want that escape route’: once a sign of disloyalty, Americans seek dual citizenships under Trump (Guardian)
Vance refuses to set red lines over bigotry as conservatives feud at Turning Point (AP)
Heritage staffers walk out amid latest strife at MAGA institution (WP)
How Kash Patel Ordered Himself a New Fleet of BMWs With FBI Money (TNR)
Proposal to declassify nursing as ‘professional’ threatens ability to secure student loans (PBS)
AI Is Testing What Society Wants From Music (Atlantic)
The Race to Build the World’s Best Friend (NYT)
U.S. Battles China In AI Race But American Firms Quietly Embrace Cheap, Powerful Chinese Open-Source Models (EurAsian Times)
Aldi CEO Chased Off From Whole Foods Dumpsters (Onion)
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