Recently I wrote a guest editorial for the Omaha World Herald.  It was an open letter to Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert.  In it I agreed with them when I heard them thank the media for the great job they did informing people about the severe storm that trashed hundreds of houses and upended numerous lives.

KETV, WOWT, KMTV, KFAB, The World Herald and other local media all provided life saving real time updates on the worst storm we have seen in decades. The news was there when the citizens of Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa needed them the most. 

And while I echoed the Governor and Mayor’s kudos for the job the media did, I pointed out that they are also supporting a man for President that called the media “The enemy of the people.”  I asked them to envision a world where people believed that you couldn’t trust anything the legitimate media says.  A world where people didn’t go to their basements when told of the dangerous storm because the media lies. A world where there wasn’t a legitimate media to tell them the storm was coming in the first place. I pointed out some of the dangers of electing a man who openly said he wanted to be a dictator.  A man who if he had his way would outlaw the free press. 

The response I got on social media after the guest editorial was published was interesting.  I received a lot more support than I expected.  But I also had numerous people who were upset with me for pointing out the obvious.  

But those that were upset with me didn’t challenge me on my facts.  They came after me for criticizing Donald Trump.  They agreed that the local media did a great job.  They separated the weather forecasters from the news reporters.  They said that you can trust the local media but not the national media.  But not one person accused me of saying anything that wasn’t true.  They just tried to justify their support of the former President or by continuing that time honored tradition of shooting the messenger. 

As a person who has spent much of his life observing and then commenting on those observations, I have noticed an interesting trait of many Trump supporters.  I will point out facts about what the man has actually said or done, and then get blasted for criticizing him. They don’t challenge me on the facts, just challenge me on pointing them out.

My comments will often be a direct quote from him and the response from many of his supporters is that I’m bashing him.  To paraphrase Harry Truman, I just tell them the truth and they think I’m bashing him. 

Our founding fathers made the First Amendment Numero Uno for a reason, to keep the government in line and to inform the public of governments actions so we can work to form a more perfect union. 

And while I’m on this rant allow me to go on a tangent and say that even though I’ve done it here, I hate the phrase “the media”.  That phrase implies that the media is one monolithic thing.  It’s not.  “The media” is TV in all it’s forms. Over the air, cable, satellite, and streaming.  It’s newspapers, radio, magazines, YouTube, X, Facebook, and countless other websites and platforms.  It’s not all one thing. 

It is fair game to criticize individual platforms or reports.  It’s fair game to hold these various news outlets accountable. But to cast a wide net to go after them all, or to only believe the news that you like is dangerous. 

I closed out my open letter to the Governor and Mayor and agreed with them once again in their praise for the brave first responders who weathered the storm to help people they didn’t know, regardless of their political choices.  I then challenged them to be brave and stand up against an authoritarian form of government and to join people like Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and former Chief of staff John Kelly, conservatives, who worked closely with Trump and are now sounding the alarm after seeing firsthand the threat he poses to democracy.

By all accounts the city and state along with numerous charities are doing a good job helping the storm victims get their lives back on track.  I know about the progress being made thanks in part to the work of the “enemy of the people.”

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.