Reminder: The First Amendment also protects President Trump's right to criticize the press

By Gary Abernathy

Sometimes it seems the press forgets that criticizing the media is an entirely appropriate use of free speech rights

As everyone knows, a would-be assassin brought the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to a halt before it really got started. Thankfully, the Secret Service and other protective agencies sprang into action and kept everyone safe.

The scheduled dinner may have been quite an entertaining event. Many media members in attendance were prepared to roast Trump. Trump was prepared to roast them right back.

According to reports, many attendees were wearing lapel pins that quoted the words of the First Amendment, which, in their imagination, is a necessary reminder for this particular president. And, led by the Society of Professional Journalists and other such organizations, several current and former journalists issued a letter to the White House Correspondents’ Association stating, in part:

We understand that some journalists plan to wear pocket handkerchiefs or lapel pins with the words of the First Amendment. And continuing in that spirit, we believe the White House Correspondents Association should take stronger action by issuing – from the podium – a forceful defense of freedom of the press and condemnation of those who threaten that freedom, followed by a standing toast to the First Amendment and a pledge to continue upholding such a critical cornerstone of our democracy. Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of an independent, strong, and free press.

We also urge the WHCA to reaffirm, without equivocation, that freedom of the press is not a partisan issue and that the Association will not normalize this behavior but instead fight back against any officeholder who has waged systematic war against the journalists whose work the dinner celebrates.

The self-pity of the media is embarrassing, and the fact that Dan Rather was among the signatories certainly detracted from the letter’s impact. But the whole episode served as a reminder that too many in the news media seem to operate under the misconception that the First Amendment is solely designed for their use, rather than acknowledging they also are included among those who are legitimate targets for its exercise.

Here’s the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Notice the pertinent phrasing in regard to free speech and the press: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”. The press is listed separately from “freedom of speech,” which applies to everyone, not just the press. Many in the media seem to believe that the First Amendment protects them. Indeed, it protects their right to exercise freedom of speech — but it does not protect them from the freedom of speech exercised by others, including criticism of the press.

Just as the First Amendment guarantees the media’s right to report on and otherwise dissect and criticize public officials, so too does the First Amendment guarantee the right of public officials to criticize the media. Indeed, if I was President Trump, I would have proudly worn the lapel pin quoting the First Amendment to make the point that those words apply to his right to call out “fake news” as much as they apply to the media in its coverage of him and his administration.

The media has tried hard, during both Trump terms, to position itself as a victim, to pretend that “the First Amendment is under attack” from Donald J. Trump. They conflate themselves with the First Amendment, forgetting or ignoring the fact that First Amendment rights apply every bit as much to Trump and every other citizen who engages in criticizing them. The First Amendment is not the exclusive property of the press, nor is it a shield protecting them from attack.

As often noted here, the far-left (formerly mainstream) media has abandoned all journalistic principles to engage in daily partisan attacks on Trump and his administration. Trump is often deserving of criticism. But our most revered legacy outlets have been co-opted by far-left activists who spout radical and often socialist propaganda and call it journalism. It is not.

Most legacy media are so far removed from the mainstream of America that the use of that term to describe them is laughable. They have displaced the Democratic Party as the main opposition to Trump and the GOP.

As a longtime journalist, I revere the First Amendment and its protection of the media’s duty to inform the citizenry.

As someone who has also spent years working in politics, I revere the First Amendment and its protection of the right of public officials to complain about the media and even to engage in lawful means to de-platform critics. For instance, convincing ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel would not take away Kimmel’s First Amendment rights; it would simply mean that he would have to find a different platform, or that he might even have to resort to standing on a street corner cracking his lame and irresponsible jokes.

As an American citizen, I revere the First Amendment and its protection of the right of common citizens to criticize politicians, the media and anyone else legally considered fair game for public criticism.

The First Amendment is here for all Americans — politicians, the media and average citizens alike. It does not exist only for the benefit of the news media. In fact, every American in every walk of life could just as proudly display a First Amendment lapel pin, with every bit as much pride, meaning and significance as any member of the news media. We could all participate in “a standing toast to the First Amendment and a pledge to continue upholding such a critical cornerstone of our democracy.”

We should all cherish the First Amendment. It applies equally to us all. It protects the media’s right to report — along with everyone else’s right to criticize how they go about it.

Gary Abernathy is an award-winning journalist and columnist with a long career in news media and politics, including as a contributing columnist for the Washington Post and a frequent analyst on PBS NewsHour. He is the author of “MAGA Republican Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions.” Never miss an update from Abernathy Road, where Gary offers opinion and analysis about political and cultural developments.