"Fake News" Attacks Backfire as Journalists Dig for the Truth

Grant Glickson, President of the NewsGuild-CWA of New York, TNG-CWA Local 31003, wrote about President Trump's attacks on journalists:

The barrage of lies and slander raining down on America's journalists is having unintended consequences for the perpetrators: Subscriptions are soaring as news organizations pour resources into political and investigative reporting.

Far from discouraging or silencing journalists, the attacks are fueling a renaissance in newsrooms across the country. Morale is going up; talk of job cuts is going down.

The Trump mantra you hear about "the failing New York Times" is laughable. "Every time he tweets, it drives subscriptions wildly," New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet said Sunday on CNN's Reliable Sources. "Our digital subscriptions are going through the roof. Even print subscriptions are up. We're a profitable company, we're a newsroom that's hiring. We're a big, vibrant, important newsroom."

That vibrant newsroom is filled with Guild members who have been pushing The Times to "invest in us" as contract talks proceed. We hope Baquet’s words mean management has been listening.

Many of our members are among journalists getting national attention for their Trump coverage. They are doing us proud. Not only is their work exceptional, they are unfailingly civil and professional in the face of attacks on their character. They are not taking the bait.

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