Following yet another mass shooting on American soil, five staffers of Annapolis, Maryland's Capital Gazette newspaper are dead, with more suffering from serious injuries.
The rhetoric surrounding this horrifying incident is similar to past shootings. Politicians and activists alike campaigning for stricter firearm laws have used this as yet another example as to why reform around these laws is necessary.
Although some of the same old debates have come up, things are different this time around. The deaths of Rebecca Smith, 34; John McNamara, 56; Rob Hiaasen, 59; Gerald Fischman, 61; and Wendi Winters, 65; has led some to question whether or not the press is as free in America as it should be.
Other media outlets were put on high alert following the shooting. Counter-terrorist NYPD units were stationed outside of various media outlets in New York City once the news broke.
Although the perpetrator in the Annapolis incident was not directly motivated by political causes, many politicians have criticized President Donald Trump's rhetoric surrounding journalists, citing many of his tweets and public speeches in which he's criticized the press as a possible catalyst for further attacks on media outlets.
Trump has continuously claimed that news outlets like CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS are "the enemy of the people," both via Twitter and at various political rallies. It's clear when watching a pro-Trump rally just how much his supporters hate the press.
The displeasure with the press is not centralized to the right, however. Many on the political left blame the press for the rise of Trumpism in America.
According to the media tracking firm mediaQuant, Trump received over $5 billion dollars in free "advertising" via major news network coverage. Some could argue that this excessive exposure allowed for Trump's voice to find a proper place to resonate with enough Americans to get him elected.
One thing is clear; both the President and the public's relationship with the press has never been rockier. When he was initially asked by CNN's Jake Tapper if he would stop referring to the press as "enemies," President Trump initially declined comment.
Further criticism was thrown Trump's way following Annapolis mayor Gavin Buckley's claim that the city's initial request to have flags be flown at half-staff nationally was denied by the White House.
President Trump has since ordered flags be flown at half-staff and said in a prepared statement that journalists should be able to work "without fear."
It remains to be seen whether or not the tragedy involving the Capital Gazette will have an impact on the rhetoric surrounding journalists in this country, but President Trump's handling of issues with the media is sure to be under a larger microscope than ever before.
In an ideal world, journalists are not the enemies of the state. Rather, they are allies to the public, acting as both informants and watchdogs against corruption. Bias may be present- but it is up to, and has always been up to the citizen to be able to separate bias from fact.
Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to do this.
One can hope that this tragedy will serve as a wake-up call to help mend the broken relationship between the American public and news outlets, as the continued hostility and aggressiveness towards journalists for simply doing their jobs will not allow for democracy to survive in America.
