Journalism is under attack. Not only from extremists on either side who only want to get their news from sources that reconfirm their already preconceived ideas but also from the corporations that own the major news operations and keep cutting back on their resources.

Toss in the websites from foreign entities, or billionaire tech moguls that may not have our best interests at heart and there is a recipe for disaster.

I have often heard some people say they don’t know what to believe anymore so they’ve stopped paying attention to the news.

But now is not the right time to stop paying attention to what’s going on. Not since the Nixon administration, the Vietnam War, and the civil rights eras have we needed quality journalists more.

As President-Elect Trump puts together his cabinet and group of close advisors the American people need to be aware of just what is going on.

Not all of Trump’s nominees are unqualified. Not all of them are controversial. But the unqualified controversial candidates need to be totally vetted and reported on by the media. Responsible journalists and commentators who speak truth to power are not the enemy of the people. They are the safety net our founding fathers put in the Constitution with the First Amendment.

It was announced that Kash Patel is President Trump’s pick to head the FBI. Patel can only take over as head of the FBI if the current director Christopher Wray is fired or resigns. President-Elect Trump has said he will fire Wray, a man he appointed to the post in 2017. Director Wray still has three years left on his term. (Updated: Christopher Wray will resign at the end of the Biden administationon Janurary 20, 2025).

Christopher Wray is a dedicated experienced law enforcement official. He has years of experience working his way up the ranks as a federal attorney who prosecuted drug crimes, corruption, and illegal weapons trafficking.

Kash Patel is a conspiracy theorist who has vowed to go after members of the media perceived to be hostile to the former and future president.

Patel was announced late Saturday night during the Thanksgiving holiday. A sure sign that Trump was hoping the news would float under the radar when people were still in a food-induced coma and focusing on football.

While the average citizen was recovering from turkey and shopping overloads, journalists covering Capitol Hill were paying attention. The challenge is to get the news out so the general public wants to pay attention.

I wish more people thought of themselves as Americans first and Republicans or Democrats second or third. We are all in the same boat. Any president’s success is America’s success. Any president’s failures are America’s failures. As citizens, it’s incumbent on us to pay attention and to hold our elected leaders accountable.

Kash Patel is not qualified to head up the FBI. Going after news outlets that he deems are unfavorable to the administration is un-American. Plain and simple. It’s the sort of thing our founding fathers were concerned about when they wrote the Constitution. Our Congressmen and Senators need to be concerned about this as well no matter how MAGA they might be.

As I said, not everyone the President-Elect is nominating for positions is unqualified, but the qualifications need to be more than just blind loyalty to the twice impeached criminally convicted felon that will be returning to the Oval Office. The qualifications need to be more than just the ability to disrupt their departments without replacing them with something better.

The legitimate media is not the enemy of the people. The disinformation that is being spread is the enemy. The citizens not paying attention or just accepting un-American actions is the enemy.

Our founding fathers put the First Amendment in there for a very important reason. It is now under a very real attack from a man who joked about shooting reporters at his rallies. That is not funny.

Senators Ricketts and Fischer, the American people need you and your Republican associates to stand up to nominations like Kash Patel. It’s not just candidates with sex scandals that are unqualified. We need the Republican Senate and House to be more than just a rubber stamp for MAGA. We need to have them make sure that we have the best and brightest in these important positions.

The masthead of the Washington Post says that Democracy dies in darkness. Yet this storied publication has cut back on the number of reporters it employs. The Post was afraid to run an editorial endorsing Kamala Harris for president. The billionaire owner didn’t want to upset the man who eventually won.

Yes, Democracy does indeed die in darkness. Little by little, America is getting darker.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.