MCJ Department speaks out against threats of violence to journalists

Photo: U.S. Capitol east front, Martin Falbisoner

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In the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the increased threat to members of the media, the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) and the director of the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust are voicing their concerns. 

On Tuesday, MCJ issued the following statement:

“The Department of Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) strongly condemns the January 6 mob violence at our nation’s Capitol aimed at blocking the Constitutional duties of our elected representatives. As a department that teaches ethical truth-telling across various media, we regard these attacks, as well as the ongoing violence and threats of violence against members of the media, as a direct assault on our democracy. Journalists must be able to do their work without fearing violence from those who would silence them. We unequivocally support all journalists’ rights to practice their craft in a safe environment free from intimidation, threats, and violence.”

On Saturday, the founder and director of the Institute for Media and Public Trust, Jim Boren, expressed his concern over increasing threats of violence against journalists. In the post, Boren outlines threats over the last several years that crescendos with the insurrection in Washington D.C. last week followed by a local radio talk show host who suggested that some journalists should be “hanged.”

Boren’s piece was published on the Institute for Media and Public Trust’s blog and the Fresno Bee.

MCJ offers courses in advertising, broadcast journalism, film, photography, digital journalism, public relations and video production. Their mission is to teach students the importance and value of media, communications and journalism, and why, where, when and how to communicate ethically and responsibly in those fields.

The Institute for Media and Public Trust is housed in the MCJ Department and aims to find solutions to the fake news crisis and bridge the trust gap between news consumers and media outlets.