Stick up for the press.

• Author: Lueders, Bill
• Position: FURTHER COMMENT - Press and politics

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon says the press "should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut." President Trump, building on such previous slurs as "slime," "absolute scum," and "lying, disgusting people," has proclaimed the media "the enemy of the American people." Reporters he doesn't like are accused of being "fake news" and denied access.

Trumps attacks on the press, like those on the judiciary, are meant to neutralize a check on his incompetence, dishonesty, and corruption. But they are not mere expressions of resentment; they put journalists and our press traditions--in fact, our democracy--in danger. As practitioners of journalism, and citizens who rely on it, we have to respond.

First, the press must embrace new approaches, specifically with regard to passing judgments on false statements. We can't politely stand aside out of some misguided notion of objectivity and fairness. We must identify and expose misstatements of fact.

This is already happening, with the boom of fact-checking outlets to evaluate the pronouncements of politicians. We are also seeing journalists go to great lengths to call out lies and avoid being the conduit of false information.

"President Trump got his facts wrong again," declared Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News of February 7: "The President's false claim that the media are consciously underreporting the murder rate comes the day after he made the false charge that the media are conspiring to cover up terrorist attacks." You go, Scott!

Second, members of the media must stand up for each other. This, too, is happening. After Trump's astonishing first solo press conference of February 15, in which he lashed out at the press and ducked questions, Fox News host Shepard Smith delivered a stunning on-air rebuke.

"It's crazy what we're watching every day. It's absolutely crazy. He keeps repeating ridiculous throwaway lines that are not true at all and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as if we're some kind of fools for asking the question," Smith said. "Really? We're fools for asking the questions? No sir, we are not fools for asking the questions. And we demand to know the answer to this question."

Some Trump supporters, predictably, demanded that Smith be fired. But when I played a portion of his remarks to an audience at an event in Plover, Wisconsin, they responded with applause.

Which brings me to point three: The public also needs to stand with the press. Print journalism...