How dare Donald Trump call the media “the enemy of the people”! Doesn’t he know that journalists perform an indispensable role in protecting Our Democracy? Without them, who would do the necessary work of gleefully destroying the reputations and livelihoods of heartland Americans minding their own business? Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, right?
The latest case of a journalist totally not deserving to be body-slammed comes from Jules Suzdaltsev, an upstanding reporter with Vice News. On Sunday, he doxxed the entire male class of 2019 at Baraboo High School in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Turns out, some of them put their right hands in the air during their prom photos last spring.
Now, most journalists (much like Hillary Clinton) couldn’t find Wisconsin on a map. But Jules Suzdaltsev is different. He understood the threat to “Our Democracy” posed by a bunch of 17-year-olds fooling around during their official prom photos. That’s why he launched a Twitter thread repeating anonymous accusations that the boys are racists, homophobes, and, worst of all, Trump supporters.
Stunning and brave. Think how many lives this one brave journalist saved by destroying these boys’ reputations. Without his hard work, their private Snapchats and photos would have never become a national news story.
But it gets even better. Local news reports the boys might even be in legal trouble!
According to a statement from the school district posted on social media: “The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo . . . We are investigating and will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.’”
Later in the story: “The Baraboo police department said in a Facebook post that it was aware of the photo controversy, and officers are assisting the school district’s investigation.”
Hateful white racists who hatefully hate blacks and Jews might point out that these boys haven’t harmed anyone. These alt-Right Nazis might also echo the American Founders that destroying someone’s reputation without cause is theft. These fascists might question the rightness of digging up a six-month-old photo of a joke, even one in poor taste, and using it to destroy the reputations of total strangers, who are not public figures, and who also happen to be minors.
These are the same bigots who think that journalists shouldn’t get someone fired for their Halloween costume! Wow, just . . . wow. The fact that some people still believe such things in the Current Year shows just how far we still have left to go before utopia.
Without dedicated reporters standing by to assault the livelihoods and reputations of random citizens how could America move forward? Imagine if people could privately tell jokes, make hand gestures, and express thoughts without a social media mob descending on them like a plague of locusts. I shudder at the thought.
That’s the America we’d have without our brave men and women in the press. This Veteran’s Day weekend, many took the opportunity to thank those who served our nation in the military. But how many of you took the opportunity to thank a reporter for their sacrifices so that we can’t live in freedom?
God bless America and God bless our journalists, who definitely are not the enemy of the people.
Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images