Author: Tom Doerr, President of the Press Club of Southwest Florida
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When Muhammad Ali died in 2016, I was surprised by how deeply his death affected me. My sense of loss seemed to come out of nowhere. Boxing was of little interest to me. I didn’t follow Ali’s fights with the devotion of those who could recall every opponent and every round. But I had followed…
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In 1959, I failed the third grade. Two Sisters of St. Joseph delivered the news to my parents and me. It was devastating. Children can be cruel, and for a long time I carried the label “stupid.” The next year, I learned I was dyslexic. I did not lack the ability to learn; I learned…
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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier says he is working to protect Florida’s pensioners. That’s a responsibility worth taking seriously. The question his actions now raise is: Who is protecting Florida’s pensioners from the cost of their protection? Uthmeier has demanded six years of corporate records from The New York Times Company, arguing that the newspaper’s…
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Before Lee County voters decide whether to change how county commissioners are elected, they deserve something increasingly rare in modern politics: An explanation. Not campaign slogans. Not competing accusations. Not political advertising. Just a clear understanding of what the referendum would and would not do. That responsibility belongs first to our local journalists. In November,…
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Pete Hegseth has a credibility problem. As the Pentagon’s civilian leader, he must explain to the American people an increasingly costly and unpopular war with Iran. Instead, the Pentagon has restricted access for independent journalists, limited briefings, and released consequential information only after reporters pressed for it. The latest example involves American casualties. The Pentagon…
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A free press is often described as the Fourth Estate, a watchdog over government. That description is incomplete. Journalists do not gather information for themselves. They gather it on the public’s behalf. The right to know belongs to citizens. That simple principle lies at the heart of the escalating confrontation between the federal government and…
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America celebrated its 250th birthday this past weekend with fireworks, parades, concerts, speeches, and patriotic displays. It was a weekend meant to remind us of an extraordinary national promise that all people are created equal and possess the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet amid those celebrations, another image emerged.…
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On its 250th birthday, America is a nation that tells itself only flattering stories. That’s a sign of decline, not greatness. That thought came to mind while reading a recent essay, “How America Gave Up on Its Own History,” by Yoni Appelbaum in The Atlantic, about America’s struggle to reach a shared understanding of its past and present. History…
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The Press Club of Southwest Florida has always been powered by volunteers. Every luncheon, every scholarship, every Newsmaker event, every opportunity to bring journalists and the public together begins with members who are willing to step forward and help. Today, I’m asking a few more members to do exactly that. As the club continues to…