Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, released a video on Monday defending the freedom of the press.
The senator warned that the “republic will not work if we don’t have shared facts.”
“The only way the republic can work is if we come together and defend each other’s rights to say things we differ about,” Sasse says in the video.
It’s not helpful to call the press the enemy of the American people. Here’s why. #1a pic.twitter.com/dhiVY5ndqZ
— Senator Ben Sasse (@SenSasse) December 31, 2017
Sasse noted that digital media allows people to exist in “echo chambers” with people who agree with them, which he argued is a “recipe for a new kind of tribalism.”
The senator ended the video by saying that “it’s not helpful to call the press the enemy of the American people” in an apparent dig at Trump. Just one day earlier, the President mentioned the “Fake News” media in a tweet.
As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year. 2018 will be a great year for America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017