Stop in at the Times … we’re not your enemy

President Donald Trump has called the press “the enemy of the people.”

Like much of what he says, it’s a catchy hashtag.

Certainly everyone has read something in their local newspaper they don’t like or disagree with, especially if it’s about them.

American newspapers, so many of which are drowning in red ink — and we don’t mean the barrels for the press — are an easy target these days. If we’re an enemy, we’re sadly not a very formidable one right now.

Yet we plug away. During the most closed-off administration in recent history, during the darkest time newspapers have ever seen in terms of their own survival, some excellent journalism is coming out, shedding light on subjects the government would prefer to keep in the dark.

As a lifelong newspaper reporter lucky enough to still have a job, I would submit that we are not the enemy of the people. We are the people.

Like you, we work long hours for minimal pay. Like you, we do our jobs not just for the paycheck but because we love it. Like you, we have families we worry about. Like many of you in dangerous jobs, we sometimes worry about our own lives, especially now that the leader of the free world has painted a big red target on our backs.

Unlike some individuals within the government, we have nothing to hide. We welcome questions on how we get the news, how we write the news, how we print the news, how we get it out.

So to celebrate National Newspaper Week Oct. 7 through 13, the Navajo Times is opening its doors for your inspection. Monday through Friday, there will be a small exhibit in our lobby featuring some of our cartoons and articles through the years.

On Thursday, Oct. 11, we will host a free open house, with refreshments and tours of our building, which is located in the Hogan Tso office complex on the southeast corner of Window Rock’s main intersection. Staff from all departments will be present to answer your questions, and if you fill out a readership survey to help us serve you better, you can spin a wheel to win a small gift.

There will also be drawings for prizes donated by local businesses that advertise with us.

Come and meet our national treasure, cartoonist Jack Ahasteen, and get him to sign the special cartoon tabloid we will print that day. The Times’ two-volume book “Exploring the Navajo Nation Chapter by Chapter” will be available for sale, and I’d be honored to sign your copy.

Unlike in the White House, no question will be off-limits. We’ll be glad to answer to the best of our ability, and take any constructive criticism you have to offer.

Once you meet us, I think you’ll agree we’re not “the enemy of the people.” We’re just the folks who shine the light behind the hashtags.

That’s not to say we won’t come after you if we find out you’re doing something crooked. As long as newspapers can survive in this ever-shakier democracy, we will give the people the tools to decide who their real enemies are.

In the words of this year’s National Newspaper Week motto, “Journalism matters, now more than ever.”

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