WHEREAS: Democracy depends on a free press to promote the open exchange of ideas, promote debate and critical reflection, question authority, lift up and remember history and the stories of neighborhoods, and to seek, discover, analyze and share information that affects residents’ lives and wellbeing; and

WHERAS: With the evolution of technology, consolidation of media outlets, increased used of freelance agents and ever-changing play field, many members of the press have experienced unstable working conditions and uncertain futures; and

WHEREAS: Recently, amidst criticism from the White House of individual journalists and the news media as an institution, the Boston Globe led outlets nationwide in a series of editorials reminding our society of the importance of the press; and

WHEREAS: Journalists and content creators are workers, with rights to reasonable pay, benefits, Hours, job security, and the right to declare and investigate grievances; and

WHEREAS: The media as an institution cannot exist without the people who make the news; and

WHEREAS: Workers at WBUR have recently voted to organize as a local affiliate of SAG- AFTRA; and

WHEREAS: