For as long as there has been news, there have been attacks against the media. Attacks on the press are nothing more than attempts to silence the people, to sway opinion away from facts and to minimize open public discourse. It is one thing to say that you disagree with the facts, that you have a different interpretation. It is another thing entirely to discard the truth and replace it with fake news, junk science or blatantly false reasoning. Personal attacks against journalists go even further in debasing a healthy democracy.