“First they came for…” is an allusion to a quote by Martin Niemoller from the 1930s to express concern about the Nazis’ right-wing radical control of all opposing opinions and movements.
Citizens did not speak out to protest the attempted annihilation of socialists, union members, communists, and Jews. Modern adaptations of this quote add any groups threatened by censorship and worse (United States Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C., April 11, 2023, http://www.encyclopedia. ushmm.org).
In the Oklahoma legislature controlled by Republicans, it seems we could add journalists to Niemoller’s “endangered” list. Senator Nathan Dahm has authored SB1837, ironically named Common Sense Freedom of Press Control Act.
Dahm says the purpose of the bill is “to avoid potential abuse of the freedom of the press (Graycen Wheeler, “Oklahoma Senator Authors Bill to Limit Freedom of the Press,” January 19, 2024, www.kosu.org).
Outlined in this bill are proposed requirements to force anyone employed with a media outlet to submit to a background check and quarterly drug tests. Media employees would have to file for a license from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, buy a one-milliondollar liability insurance policy, and listen to an eight-hour training “seminar” about “propaganda-free” safety procedures from PragerU.
PragerU, contrary to what its name suggests, is not a university and has nothing to do with any university. Jonathan Zimmerman, Professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania (cited on the Education Week website) calls it a “political propaganda machine that “promotes mistruths about climate change, slavery, and a whole host of other things” (www.edweek.org).
Under Dahm’s bill, journalists would be required to pay a $290,000 fee every five years to obtain a license to write (Wheeler).
Media entities (local, state, and national) would also have to file annually for a $250,000 license and buy liability insurance for $50 million.
These news agencies would also be required to display the following disclaimer for each story or video: “Warning: this entity is known to provide propaganda. Consuming propaganda may be detrimental to your health and [the] health of the republic” (Wheeler).
This senate bill presents so many dangers. Primarily, it is in direct conflict with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The First Amendment provides that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” or prohibiting free speech. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the “right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (“The Constitution,” http://www.whitehouse.gov).
Our government was established with checks and balances to preserve our democratic freedoms. A tradition of five “estates” or influences exists that holds public officials (those in power) accountable. Beginning with the French Revolution, the estates have been identified as the “First Estate (Clergy), the Second Estate (Nobility or Wealthy), and the Third Estate (Bourgeois or Middle Class).”
The Fourth Estate term was developed in the early 1800s to describe an increasingly powerful press. Today, the first three estates are thought of in democracy as the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches.
The fourth estate is the mainstream press. The fifth estate has evolved to mean a part of society that veers from the traditional checks and balances, such as alternative media, bloggers, and independent journalists (Nathan Maher and Artem Cheprasov, “Fifth Estate: the Meaning and the Impact of Media,” November 21, 2023, http:// www/study.com).
Without safeguards, any one branch of government can tip the balance of power. The media are a vital watchdog to this delicate balance.
Consider Germany in the 1930s. After Adolf Hitler seized power in 1933, the number of 4,700 independent newspapers plummeted.
To “aryanize” German media, the only legal political party, the Nazi party, confiscated printing plants and presses. Storm troopers and members of the Secret Service thus eradicated any opposing political ideas.
Of course, Jewish newspapers such as Ullstein and Moses were then staffed by Nazis (“The Press in the Third Reich,” Holocaust Encyclopedia, http://www.encyclopedia. usamm.org).
The Propaganda Ministry assumed control of the Reich Association of the German Press. On October 4, 1933, the Association kept registries of “racially pure” editors and journalists. Those on the list were mandated to follow the ideologies given to them by the Ministry. Detailed guidelines stated what could or could not be reported and how to report the news (Holocaust Encyclopedia).
It is dangerous for any government to regulate the media.
Russian media have been closely monitored since Stalin. With Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine in February 2022, independent media and journalists have fallen under closer, more alarming scrutiny.
Independent Novaya Gazeta, founded by Nobel-Peace-Prize-winner Dimitri Muratov, was censored and eventually closed by Putin’s government. The World Press Freedom Index ranks Russia 164th out of 180 countries whose freedom of the press has declined (Kaela Malig, “How Russia’s Press Freedom Has Deteriorated over the Decades Since Putin Came to Power,” September 26, 2023, Frontline, http://www.pbs. org).
Besides murder and imprisonment of dissenting reporters, national and foreign, tactics to control have evolved to legislative measures. Freedom of the press experts state that the Russian government is passing laws that make reporting the truth a crime. Reporters are labeled “foreign agents.” Independent media voices are outlawed. “The Russian Government denies that the foreign agent label is censorship…Putin described it as a way to prevent interference in our domestic affairs” (Malig).
Regarding reporting the Ukrainian war in Russia must align with the official report of the government. If not, the reporter is named a criminal and may be imprisoned for up to fifteen years. The government labels such contradictions as “fake news” (Malig).
It is dangerous for any government to regulate the media.
A Republican-controlled Oklahoma State Legislature’s demand that journalists be “schooled” against propaganda is the height of hypocrisy. The Republicans’ “medium of choice” seems to be Fox News. Last April, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million dollars. In the lawsuit brought by Dominion, Fox was accused of knowingly reporting false statements about voting machines and election fraud in the 2020 Presidential election (David Bauer, Randall Chase, and Geoff Mulhill, “Fox, Dominion Reach $787 Million Settlement over Election Claims,” April 18, 2023, http:// www.apnews.com.
What is the responsibility of journalists in a free society? Dan Rather reported for CBS news for four decades, covering some of the most important historical events in this country, such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Watergate scandal (Alison Eldridge, “Dan Rather,” http://www.britannica. com).
Rather describes the media’s responsibilities: “When one side lies intentionally and repeatedly, they are no longer entitled to the benefit of doubt. They should be held to account, right away” (Dan Rather and Team Steady, “6 Principles Many Journalists Miss,” March 5, 2024, Steady. http://www.steady.substack. com).
Journalists must prioritize fact checking. They must ask lawmakers the hard questions. Investigative journalism must be supported. “The Fourth Estate is essential to the existence of a healthy democracy…to hold those in power accountable and to uncover corruption” (Rather). Citizens must be aware of media consolidation. Corporation advertisers and ownership exert editorial power in newsrooms. Some important stories may need independent vehicles to be heard (Rather).
It is dangerous for any government to regulate the media.
The proposed SB1837 by Oklahoma Senator Nathan Dahm is an attempt to censor journalists and media in this state. This is dangerous.
The Common Sense Freedom of Press Control Act seems an allusion to the Seven Commandments in the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. Orwell wrote this allegory and cautionary tale to warn of the dangers of communism.
After the abused animals overthrew their cruel human owner, the Seven Commandments were written on the barn wall to ensure the freedom of the animals. The most important commandment was “All Animals Are Equal” (Natalie Perdue, Kerry Gray, and Sasha Blakey, “7 Commandments in Animal Farm by George Orwell,” http:// www.study.com).
Soon it is apparent that not all animals are equal. The ruling pigs become greedy and gain power. They control Animal Farm and its communication. The Seven Commandments disappear, with only one commandment remaining, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Purdue, Gray, and Blakey).
In Animal Farm, in Oklahoma, and in our American democracy, the independence of journalists and the media is vital. When government begins to restrict, begins to control the very entity that reports the facts, perhaps the facts are condemning. Perhaps the government doesn’t want to be “kept honest.” Why do our state representatives and senators want to censure the bastion of freedom of speech and the freedom of the press?
Readers, we need to contact Senator David Bullard and Senator Nathan Dahm. Tell them SB1837 is a dangerous idea.