When Bob Woodward’s book, “Rage,” came out in early September, a piece of information that spread rapidly was from an interview in which President Trump admitted that he knew about the dangers of coronavirus in February. Meanwhile, a national response did not begin until March, and the president continued to downplay the severity of the disease. We are almost 10 months into the COVID crisis, and there is still no national plan, no federal mask mandate and no mourning for the 200,000 Americans who have died.

This is not the year to pull punches. Woodward, the same journalist who broke the Watergate scandal, elected to carry this information close to his chest for a book release – but would it have mattered even if he did tell us immediately?

Trump himself has tweeted that if his statements were so atrocious, why wouldn’t Woodward publish them the next day? Woodward has defended himself, saying he wanted to see the president’s response to the pandemic, and that by May, it was clear Trump was downplaying what he knew to be a deadly virus.

And yet on Sept. 22, the president was back to claiming the virus has next to no effect on young people. We have the audio from these interviews, confirmation from Trump himself that he said COVID “was deadly stuff”, and yet people continue to hear that we can carry on with life as normal.

A lesson from my high school history class that continues to stand out to me involved the breakdown of national broadcasting channels. In the 1960s, ABC, NBC and CBS dominated the airwaves. They were the central news sources for all Americans, requiring that stories be run factually rather than with a heavy bias since everyone was tuning in – or at least more factually. As time went on, channels began to cater to specific audiences, sponsored by owners with special interests and the knowledge that they could not pull in everyone as people had access to more choices.

It shouldn’t take a sleuth to know that racism is wrong, women deserve autonomy over their own bodies and our national pandemic response is next to nonexistent. These are not debatable partisan questions: they are facts. We have to stop ceding ground to people whose opinions are flatly incorrect.

We have to stop expecting people in power to be honest with us. That includes the Bob Woodwards of the world who know they can capitalize off their legacy.

Two things can be simultaneously true. Holding Trump accountable for his incredible failings to combat COVID does not equal unmitigated praise for Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s less-than-impressive leadership. Both parties are failing us.

Hearing all sides of an argument is a necessary skill, and it is one encouraged in a liberal arts college that advocates a platform of critical thinking. This does not mean that every side is equally correct, nor does it mean we have to “agree to disagree.” Critical thinking also means knowing when you’re being lied to and calling others out on it.

We reflect the people of Drury University, and therefore we reflect their ideals, beliefs and identities.

Holding your friends, classmates, professors and administration accountable is a wholehearted display of respect. It is not fair to yourself or your community to “let things slide.” In the same way, it is not fair for them to expect nothing but praise – or at least the safety that comes from others being too afraid to speak up.

Morality does not equal legality. Property damage is not worse than murder. We praise those who stood up and said enough was enough – from the Revolutionary War to the civil rights movement – but here we are, in our own time, wringing hands about burnt buildings and disrespecting authority. Change does not come from asking nicely.

In the same vein, ethics do not equal politics. In an interview with Fox News about Trump’s coronavirus statements, Woodward quoted his journalism mentor, Ben Bradlee: “Be tough on everyone, we’re not in the political game.” There’s much to be said on how we define politics, who it benefits and who it shuts out, but that is for another time.

The duty of journalism is to bring information to the people. Our squabbles through the Mirror appear frivolous when you look at national trends and international standards. No one on our staff gets sued or shot or beaten for broadcasting a protest. The biggest conflicts we face are publishing works that cause administrative upset and a seemingly endless battle for funding. It is still our duty to report on what happens at Drury, in Springfield and in the nation, no matter how frivolous it may seem.

Drury may be a small school, and the Mirror may be a small paper. That does not reduce the responsibility we have to one another to demand a better tomorrow.

Written by Maclen Johnson