To the Editor:

Congratulations to the owners, editor, and staff of The Altamont Enterprise for this latest round of New York Press Association awards. I was interested to learn that 761 daily and weekly newspapers are members of the association and that entries were not judged by New York journalists, but by those in Washington State.

Preet Bharara, one of my heroes for his successful prosecution of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos, was the keynote speaker for the award event. He quoted Edward R. Murrow, one of my childhood heroes, as saying, “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”

Murrow was a pioneer of television news broadcasting, who produced a series of reports that helped lead to the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The term “McCarthyism” generally refers to politicians who gain power by arousing people's emotions and prejudices, as well as by reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, and public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents

Sound familiar? Many people considered Murrow one of journalism's greatest figures, noting his honesty and integrity in delivering the news.

I was particularly interested in the Community Leadership award relating to New York's Sunshine Laws: Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law. These are among the best in the country and a way for ordinary people, as well as journalists and investigators, to hold local, county, and state government officials ethically and legally accountable. These laws are part of the toolbox of citizen participation, which includes voting, attending and speaking at public meetings, contacting representatives, letters to the editor, and so on.

A free and independent press is essential to democracy, to accountable government, and to ethical business practices. For example: On April 18, the Associated Press won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service based on its international investigation of the fishing industry in Southeast Asia. The investigation freed more than 2,000 slaves, some of whom were kept in cages, and traced the seafood they caught to supermarkets and pet food providers across the United States.

It seems there are always those who will find a way to rationalize the exploitation of others, those who would “sell their own mother” to benefit themselves, and practice other atrocious behavior. There are also those who choose to look the other way rather than face it. Independent media and citizen action go hand in hand to create a better world.

Dianne Sefcik

Westerlo