Joingate / Depositphotos.com
Forum Communications fired Jim Shaw, Jack Zaleski, and Joan Brickner from the Fargo Forum’s editorial page. It’s clear the Marcil family, which owns Forum Communications, wanted less opinion from writers willing to challenge the Trump Administration.
So the question I think we must ask ourselves is, why?
Editorial pages are meant to get you talking. A columnist’s job is to make readers feel so strongly about their writing that it causes a reaction. That could mean anything from writing a Letter to the Editor or sharing something on social media. It might even mean having the boys at coffee saying, “hey did you see this?” Whatever method, you’d be bringing attention to the Fargo Forum and making it part of your life.
Any liberal, conservative, or independent can get that done. The problem The Forum had was finding the conservatives who could write something interesting enough to cause those reactions. Clearly, the ones they have aren’t getting it done.
There’s another motivation for these actions: The motivation of owners fully committed to MAGA. Those that both fear and love President Trump. I can only imagine the strength it would take to hang out with fellow Trumpers and not agree with everything Donald says. Or worse yet, agree with everything they say.
If I had to guess, it’s the latter. Bill Marcil Jr. and his wife clearly have made that jump. I don’t know if he’s become dismissive of the truth, but clearly they don’t care what the cost is. In the world they live in, price doesn’t really matter.
The problem is that some excellent reporters will pay the price. Men and women who get up every day to report the news and share their opinion, just as generations before them have done. There’s no doubt this will cost them subscribers, and therefore, readers.
Which means it’s one more win for Donald Trump. One more step toward an uninformed public willing to challenge something just because it’s what they’re told.
Good riding with you,
Joel
Comments