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Opinion letters for Thursday, April 10
Baumgartner doesn’t listen
In response to Mary Minton’s letter (April 3): I applaud you.
I, too, have tried to reach Rep. Michael Baumgartner to no avail. His incompetence is unbelievable. I don’t believe he’s fighting for us in Eastern Washington, and I don’t think he values any of us. I do believe he is nothing but a toady, too afraid to stand up to the chaos that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are inflicting on the American people. There was a reason why people were so vocal at his town hall meeting at Whitworth. It had nothing to do with “lunatics.” It had everything to do with people being fed up.
Do I think Baumgartner listens to us? I haven’t seen that he does so far. America is in trouble. I hope our congressman will take a stand for Eastern Washington and our country.
Natalie Gibb
Spokane
Local broadcast media dropped ball
On April 5, Spokane witnessed a historic protest at Division Street and Garland Avenue, where over 5,000 citizens, according to Spokane police estimates, peacefully gathered to voice their opposition to Donald Trump’s policies.
This event was part of a nationwide Hands Off! protest, one of over 1,200 similar demonstrations across the country. Unlike TV stations in other cities, Spokane’s broadcast media conspicuously failed to cover the event adequately, neglecting its responsibility to inform the public and hold power accountable. Local broadcast media, ignoring the largest protest of its kind in Spokane’s recent memory, appears to have aligned itself with the unprecedented overreach of our executive branch.
By willfully neglecting meaningful coverage of Spokane’s anti-Trump movement, our broadcast media made itself complicit with the administration’s disregard for democratic norms.
The media’s role as Fourth Estate is to serve as a critical check on government action, protecting democracy by ensuring transparency. Spokane’s media must remember its historic duty as the final check on government, lest it fail the community it serves.
Today, it failed.
Angela Fredericks
Spokane Valley