Paraphrasing Spanish philosopher George Santayana, Winston Churchill wrote, "Those who failed to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
Writing serves a purposeful role in the transmission of information, including the preservation of past and present events for future consideration. During this past pandemic-stricken, democracy-threatening year, I've relied upon the skills of respected journalists to keep me abreast of the staggering pace of evolution of this Nation's history. While in no way diminishing the exceedingly difficult conditions under which health care workers, grocery store clerks, law enforcement members, mass transit workers, garbage handlers, truck drivers, postal workers, and others have toiled to keep us safe and functioning with a minimal degree of normality, journalists also became front-line workers, as they often risked their lives to take us into the heart of developing critical situations and, in most cases, attempt to objectively present what we may not personally experience.
As writers, we are unified in our goal to impart information to others. Written words and speech are powerful tools of communication that can be as inciteful as they are enlightening. While journalists have been demonized by those who would prefer to camouflage the truth with "alternative facts," they have persevered at great peril to keep us informed during these tumultuous times. In the hopefully waning era of "fake news," I am thankful that journalistic integrity reliably informed me.
Let us celebrate our esteemed colleagues by taking a moment to acknowledge those who make it their mission to convey truth through the power of words.