Letters to the Editor | Jan. 25, 2024

Sadly, there seems to be a whole economy dedicated to slandering the fine name of one Taylor Swift. What is the crime that she is being accused of that is drawing so much hate? Larceny? Running a Ponzi scheme? Leading an insurrection to overthrow the government? No. She was watching a football game. That, apparently, is the crime. The same game that more than 70,000 other people attended. Why are these people upset? Was Swift too happy? Was her lipstick too red? Did she swag surf too hard? The world will never know. When thousands of Kansas City Chiefs fans celebrate a touchdown, no one bats an eye. One Taylor Swift celebrates a touchdown, and everyone loses their minds. Literally. Get control of yourselves. Don’t hate — congratulate.

Jayson Massey, Philadelphia

Just as TMI stands for “too much information,” I have created a similar initialism: TMP, which stands for “too much publicity.” When will CNN, MSNBC, and other news channels realize that any publicity for Donald Trump is good publicity? It does not matter if it’s about his indictments or his outrageous behavior in court; even the mere mention of his name seems to improve his standing in the polls. Every news program refers to Trump several times within the broadcast. The same, however, cannot be said for President Joe Biden. One is hard-pressed to find information about his accomplishments on a daily basis. Even his campaign tour is minimally featured. The frightening prospect of Trump becoming reelected should be enough to make news reporters and newscasters minimize their attention to such a dangerous person. Even if this letter itself is guilty of TMP, it seems impossible to speak of Trump without overusing his name. When will we all wake up to the need to diminish the publicity surrounding Trump and focus on the attributes of American democracy and the threat that Trump poses?

Edie Sherman, Ambler, edie.sherman2@gmail.com

Donald Trump stated that both CNN and NBC should have their broadcast licenses pulled for not airing his speech following his win in the Iowa caucus. This, of course, is not the first time Trump has attempted to control the media; however, this time is different. This time, Trump has revealed an even bigger ambition: specifically, preventing any news organization from operating when he doesn’t approve of its content. One would think our Constitution would protect the American people against a leader who attempts to censor the press. After all, the First Amendment expressly provides for the freedom of speech and of the press.

These freedoms are essential for the survival of a strong democracy, in that they allow its people to make informed decisions, consider different opinions, and hold its elected officials accountable. However, given our extreme right-wing U.S. Supreme Court, it is not inconceivable to imagine it ruling that the freedoms of speech and press do not apply to broadcast networks, since such networks did not exist in 1788 when the Constitution was ratified. How, then, do we ensure that a free press continues to thrive in America? By voting for the leaders who respect both our rule of law and the ideals upon which our country was founded.

Jeffrey Meyer, Chicago

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