The Latest: US Senate affirms the press is 'not the enemy'
The Latest on U.S. newsrooms coordinating a series of editorials speaking up for a free press (all times local):
2:05 p.m.
The Senate has unanimously approved a resolution affirming that "the press is not the enemy of the people."
The resolution Thursday offered by Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, of Hawaii, drew on the words of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and President Ronald Reagan, among others, to champion the role of the free press, which it said is "integral to the democratic foundations of the United States."
The resolution condemns attacks on the press "as an attack on our democratic institutions."
It noted that the First Amendment "protects the press from government control and suppression."
No senator raised objections to resolution.
Newspapers across the U.S. are pushing back against President Donald Trump's attacks on "fake news" with a coordinated series of editorials speaking up for a free and vigorous press.
__
8:30 a.m.
Newspapers from Maine to Hawaii are pushing back against President Donald Trump's attacks on "fake news" with a coordinated series of editorials speaking up for a free and vigorous press.
The Boston Globe, which set the campaign in motion by urging the unified voice, had estimated that some 350 newspapers would participate Thursday.
They did across the breadth of the country. The Portland, Maine Press-Herald said a free and independent press is the best defense against tyranny, while the Honolulu, Hawaii Star-Advertiser emphasized democracy's need for a free press.
"The true enemies of the people — and democracy — are those who try to suffocate truth by vilifying and demonizing the messenger," wrote the Des Moines Register in Iowa.