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A recent act of bravery by a Maryland newspaper’s staff — in vowing to publish a newspaper after five of their members were killed by a gunman — resonates with anyone who ever worked at or dreamed of being a journalist in this country.

As a former journalist (Idaho Statesman, Albuquerque Journal, United Press International), I realized the difficulties in determining the truth (the facts) among the myriad distortions and misinformation disseminated by our elected officials and others with axes to grind.

Today’s journalists face a daunting task in honestly reporting the facts when our president calls it ‘”fake news” whenever they accurately report an egregious act perpetrated by himself or his administration and then labels the reporters as “enemies of the people.” (This from one whose recent campaign- rally-type speech was described by a Time Magazine columnist as “a dizzying array of mistakes, lies and misrepresentations.”

The majority of journalism jobs offer low pay for long hours, and for this journalists are exposed to criticism, threats and harassment for doing their jobs — which are essential in preserving our democracy ( i.e. the Watergate investigation). But journalists realize that if they don’t respect and expose the truth, no one will.

Newspapers across the country recently observed a moment of silence honoring the five employees of the Annapolis Capital Gazette ‘s staff who were killed. “ I can tell you this. We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow,” a newspaper staff reporter had said.

JAMES W. RAMSEY

Sandpoint