OPINION:
Earlier this month in El Centro, California, three protesters from “IV for Palestine” showed up outside the Imperial Valley Press. They taped a sign to the building accusing the paper of “complicity in genocide,” criticized its coverage and shouted “Zionist” and “KKK” into a megaphone so loudly that surrounding businesses and the paper’s management called police over the disruption.
Their demands were clear: Change the coverage to reflect their position and publicly take sides in a foreign conflict. The language they used echoed talking points regularly promoted by Al Jazeera, the state-run, biased media arm of the Qatari government.
This was an attempt to pressure a newsroom into adopting a foreign-influenced narrative. That’s not how a free press works.
Local journalism’s obligation is to inform the public based on verified facts, not to advance the political agenda of a foreign government or activist group. The people of Imperial County rely on their local press for coverage of the day-to-day events that shape life here. No one else is doing that work — not global broadcasters and not social media influencers with partisan followings.
The danger in caving to intimidation is not just about one day’s coverage. It’s about precedent. If activist pressure can dictate what stories a local newsroom tells or what language it uses, our coverage becomes an extension of someone else’s campaign. Truth becomes a casualty.
The people of Imperial County, California, deserve a press that will not bend to intimidation, no matter where it comes from. Facts are not negotiable. Neither is press freedom.
JESSAMYN DODD
Reporter, Imperial Valley Press
Imperial Valley, California
Please read our comment policy before commenting.