Why we won't relent when our journalists are attacked

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Katharine Viner (Guardian Members)" <info () mail theguardian com>
> Date: May 26, 2017 at 9:16:52 AM PDT
> To: <farber () gmail com>
> Subject: Why we won't relent when our journalists are attacked
> Reply-To: "Katharine Viner (Guardian Members)" <reply-febe1672726c0d78-2652_HTML-3373739-1058977-6 () mail 
> theguardian com>
>
>
> Hello,
>
> Earlier this week, Guardian US political reporter Ben Jacobs went to talk to Greg Gianforte, a Trump-backed tech 
> millionaire running for Congress in a hotly contested special election in Montana, about healthcare policy. That 
> conversation ended when, according to witnesses, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck, slammed him to the ground and 
> punched him. Jacobs left the scene in an ambulance. 
>
> Less than 24 hours later, Gianforte was elected to Congress, one of the most powerful political positions in America. 
>
> The Guardian believes that Gianforte’s election hours after he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly 
> assaulting our reporter – an incident recorded by Jacobs on his mobile phone and corroborated by a local Fox news 
> crew that witnessed the attack – sends an alarming signal about the health of American democracy and the swift 
> erosion of press freedoms in the Trump era. 
>
> "It was the type of encounter I've never expected to have with a politician and one that's very disappointing for 
> what it means for the role of reporters asking questions,” said Jacobs. "We're asking questions on behalf of voters 
> who deserve to know what a politician would do if they were elected to office – in this case it was about a major 
> healthcare bill that would reshape the American economy." 
>
> Gianforte’s outburst was not a random act of violence. It came in the wake of the Guardian’s rigorous reporting of 
> Gianforte’s campaign. 
>
> In Jacobs’ audio recording of his meeting with Gianforte, the politician sounds frustrated by the Guardian’s work. 
> “I’m sick and tired of you guys,” Gianforte shouts at him. “You with the Guardian? Your last guy did the same damn 
> thing.” 
>
> In April, the Guardian published an exclusive story written by Jacobs exposing Gianforte’s financial ties to a number 
> of Russian companies that have been sanctioned by the US. Earlier this week, we ran an interview with Gianforte about 
> his controversial environmental policies as part of our Anywhere but Washington video series. In that interview, the 
> Guardian’s west coast bureau chief, Paul Lewis, challenged Gianforte over his support of Trump’s executive order that 
> threatens more than two dozen national monuments in America, including the Upper Missouri River Breaks National 
> Monument in Montana. 
>
> This attack on the Guardian comes at a time when journalists are being demonized by the Trump administration and its 
> supporters in unprecedented ways. The president has declared reputable media organisations “the enemy of the American 
> people”, and at least seven reporters have been arrested this year in the US while covering anti-Trump protests.
>
> It has never been more important for us to stand strong against these aggressions. Our journalists work with complete 
> editorial independence, safeguarded by our unique ownership structure that ensures we are free from commercial or 
> political interference. This means we can hold power to account, an essential role in protecting democracy. 
>
> Thank you for supporting independent journalism and the crucial role it plays in the world. 
>
> Click here if you would like to make a contribution to further support the Guardian’s journalism today. 
>
> Katharine Viner, 
> Editor-in-chief, Guardian News & Media
>
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