Coward! Gutless loser! These were the words White House press secretary Sarah Sanders used to describe the anonymous writer who wrote the op-ed for the New York Times about the Trump administration. The writer stated, “In addition to his mass-marketing of the notion that the press is the enemy of the people, President Trump’s impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic.” Is it a treasonable act to publish your opinion about the president of the United States? If so, this is not the land of the free. Should this writer be considered a gutless loser? We don’t think so.
The Paisano rarely publishes articles from anonymous sources. The only exception to publishing an anonymous article is when the information is so valuable it must be communicated to the public. An article by an anonymous source is by no means a coward’s way out, especially when a writer is talking about the president of the United States. Freedom of expression is a first amendment right.
Members of the Trump administration think the New York Times’ article should never have been published. The New York Times said they decided to publish the op-ed because they thought the article touched on an important debate about whether the Trump administration were making good decisions.
Since readers tend to focus on the messenger and not the message articles written anonymously can be misconstrued as soon as the reader finds out who the writer is. Publishing the article was not treason nor was it breaking the first amendment. Not supporting some of a President’s policies is not treason nor is pointing out the president’s dangerous policies. Furthermore, the writer exercised their freedom of speech by publicly talking about how the president’s behavior was detrimental to the country.
All in all, the New York Times made a good decision publishing the op-ed. The article gave the writer a platform to discuss views while upholding our American way of life.
The anonymous writer’s identity is not relevant; The only thing that really matters is the writer’s work.
