Reading the insipid and utterly clueless Aug. 16 editorial "A unified response to attacks on press" reinforced the insight, common these days, that there are indeed two Americas and that we have very little, if anything, to say to each other. But, for what it's worth, I will ask this: Given all that has happened these past two years under the moralizing rubric of "Resist" and with the intent not to criticize but to delegitimize, how can your side of the political divide ever expect the other side to react when and if a Democrat is again elected president? I can answer the question: The other side will have every right to follow the example which you have now set and they will. At its most basic level, the Constitution is an agreement to disagree. You and others like you have broken that agreement.
Stephen Prescott, Minneapolis
Editor's note: The writer refers to the Star Tribune Editorial Board's contribution to an effort initiated by the Boston Globe opinion staff in which scores of American editorial boards responded Thursday to President Donald Trump's denigration of the news media. As is often noted on these pages, opinion content at the Star Tribune is produced independently of the newsroom, as is common in the industry. However, the discussion at hand is that of the broader role of the press in our democracy. Read on.
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You guys are really pathetic. The reason why people don't trust the media is simple: You lie on a regular basis. If you just told the truth for once, people wouldn't call you biased. But that's too hard of a concept for you to grasp.
D.A. Peterson, Big Lake
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I am a Vietnam veteran. All those who have served in the military for this country took an oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic." Presidents also take that oath. Given that, Trump's relentless attacks on the First Amendment are profoundly disconcerting. When this country was being established and the Bill of Rights was written, freedom of the press was, literally, at the top of that list. I have never found that capricious or arbitrary. For the president of the United States to refer to reporters as "the enemy of the people" is chilling. A free press, as your Aug. 16 editorial notes, has "a time-honored role in a democracy." I appreciate the Boston Globe's opinion staff initiating an effort to have editorial boards nationwide join in responding to Trump's at-best inaccurate portrayal of media coverage as "fake news." Coming from him I find that ironic. Was his inauguration the largest in history? Has he released his taxes yet? How much money has Mexico committed to his wall? And on and on. That he has a letter from Richard Nixon framed and displayed in the Oval Office should not surprise anyone.
Thomas Edwards, Forest Lake
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From the day Trump entered the presidential race, the press has opposed him. That was evident when he received only a handful of endorsements from newspapers across the country; some newspapers took the unprecedented step of specifically encouraging readers to not vote for Trump. Then, in the weeks and days before the election, the media published myriad polls showing Hillary Clinton with a resounding lead; the pollsters and media who so eagerly reported the information were discredited and humiliated when Trump won handily.
