SPJ-Rio Grande 100 percent supports the rights of all journalists to ask questions of public, taxpayer funded agencies. Additionally, we support any member of the public who seeks to hold government accountable.
We are the ones funding their operations, the primary function of which is to serve the community. In the specific case of law enforcement agencies, their primary job is to not only serve, but protect.
While former President Donald Trump and members of his administration made harassing the media acceptable to portions of society, last night, some protesters made personal threats to individual people.
We don’t do anything, whether it’s printing a picture or writing an article that glorifies crime at my paper. Unfortunately, crime is part of every community and it is often newsworthy.
Does Ronchetti still stand with Trump? Does he applaud Trump calling the media “The enemy of the people?” Does he denounce attacks on our democracy? Do politicians belong in the KRQE newsroom? Viewers don’t know because neither Ronchetti nor KRQE have addressed these important questions.
We had an election! And there are some new faces representing the SPJ Rio Grande chapter. Here they are, with quick bios.
Attacks against journalists – or any peacefully assembled members of the public – are unacceptable, unconstitutional, and are a threat to the democratic foundations of our society.