Editor:
I fundamentally differ with Jennifer Fumiko Cahill’s characterization of fascism in her “This Paper is Anti-Fascist” (Oct. 23). I could pen a lengthy rebuttal to it, but that would be boring. The first problem with the article is that the sweeping generalizations aren’t supported by actual examples. In other words, explain how “individual rights and freedoms and the suppression of dissenting voices through intimidation and force are in absolute opposition to the mission of journalism.” I’m tongue-tied just saying that, but how does it directly apply to reality? And who among you have taken the time to study Mussolini’s Italy or Kim Jong-Eun’s North Korea? Both are (past and present) police states where all power is vested in one person, industry and news outlets are taken over by the State and there are no elections. Now that’s fascism that hopefully no one reading this has experienced. And does anyone remember when Obama, back in 2014 wanted the FCC to oversee newsrooms? The plan was to send researchers in to grill editors, reporters and TV/radio station owners on how they decide what stories to run. Fortunately, that didn’t happen because reporters told Obama to pound sand. Hopefully someone there at the NCJ is old enough to remember when that happened.
Franklin Stover, Eureka
This article appears in Green-and-Gold Washing on the Menu?.