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Opinion: 'We report, we will not stop' #FreePress

WFAA's president and general manager, Brad Ramsey, weighs in on the importance of a free press and its critical impact on local communities.

My heart sank into my stomach this week when I saw the results of a recent Quinnipiac poll that says 26 percent of American voters surveyed believe “the media is the enemy of the people."

I’m not a Democrat or Republican. I’ve voted for candidates in both parties, sometimes one of each on the same ballot. If your vote is different than mine, I respect you and your vote. This isn't about left or right. This is about local journalists, who are not your enemy.

With the national rhetoric building against seemingly all journalists, I could no longer standby. The team at WFAA is too honorable and talented to be associated with anything considered “fake." Our journalists are authentic, brave and passionate. Lumping all media into one big, negative bucket is reckless and irresponsible. And I would respectfully ask anyone who does so to please reconsider.

WFAA journalists are focused on informing you, and protecting you and making North Texas a better place for all of us. Our kids go to North Texas schools. We sit next to some of you in church. We pay local taxes. We even struggle with North Texas traffic – just like you.

Our company’s purpose is to serve the greater good of our communities.

Over the past year, we exposed flaws in this state’s licensing of nursing home aides, which allowed many aides with violent criminal histories to work with the elderly.

Multiple lawmakers have pledged to act after we recently exposed psychiatric hospitals that were holding walk-in patients against their will, often until insurance benefits were used up.

After a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people in West, Texas, we exposed lapses in chemical safety practices throughout the state, and no doubt saved lives.

A recent five-year series of WFAA investigative stories found unsafe pipelines were carrying gas into North Texas homes, sometimes leading to fatal explosions. Our stories prompted upgrades designed to protect you and save lives.

And over the years, our newsroom — along with all other local newsrooms — have likely saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by stopping untold plots of corruption by people of all political stripes.

Our impact in the community is also significant.

Just this past year, WFAA has donated more than $100,000 to local nonprofits, and last year we donated $2.3 million of commercial air time to Dallas-Fort Worth community causes.

It’s true, there are many enemies of the people. But we at WFAA, and other American organizations with trained journalists, are not your enemy. We are your ally and advocate. We are doing everything in our power to lift up our communities and to uncover and expose the real enemies of the people.

I remind our team with great frequency that our profession is a noble one, and I trust that at least a few more of you now join me in that thought. We will keep moving with our heads held high — listening, verifying and reporting — and we will not stop.

You're part of our journey and your input makes us stronger, so we always welcome your feedback on any of the work we do, including this commentary. You can leave a comment on our Facebook page or send a note to feedback@wfaa.com.

Credit: WFAA

Brad Ramsey was named president and general manager of WFAA in January 2018. In this role he oversees day-to-day operation and strategic planning for the Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate, which serves more than seven million people across 32 North Texas counties and reaches more than four million users on WFAA.com every month.

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