[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 168 (Wednesday, October 10, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Honoring Journalists

  Mr. President, a free, independent press is critical to our 
democracy. Reporters do vital work, not just in Washington but around 
the country. They shine a light on the important issues in our 
communities. Right now, that means covering the addiction crisis that 
grips our country.
  Today alone--if today is an average day in Ohio, as I assume it is--
11 people will die of an opioid overdose. Yesterday, 11 died. Tomorrow, 
11 will die. Friday, 11 will die.
  We have been working bipartisanly to help get communities the 
resources they need. This month we passed a bipartisan package to fight 
opioid addiction. It is a start. We need more help from a generally 
disengaged White House. We need a State government to get out from 
under its corruption, day to day, that afflicts it and get out and do 
what they should be doing to fight opioid addiction.
  Everyone has a role to play. Local journalists do vital work keeping 
Ohioans informed of all the resources we have in our State. That is 
why, this week, I want to highlight another story in an Ohio paper 
informing the public, reported by a journalist serving his community.
  I remind my colleagues that the media are not the enemy of the 
people, as the White House likes to say, but they serve our 
communities. They live in our communities. They are part of our 
communities. They fight for our communities.
  Joshua Keeran reported for the Delaware Gazette about Maryhaven, a 
local addiction and mental health treatment center. Maryhaven is 
Central Ohio's oldest and most comprehensive treatment center. It has 
been a great partner to my office in our work, along with Senator 
Portman, to help Ohioans fighting addiction.
  In my conversations with Maryhaven clients, it is clear what a 
difference this organization makes in so many lives in Central Ohio. 
Mr. Keeran reported on Maryhaven's Families in Recovery Program, which 
provides education, training, and counseling support to families 
confronted with substance abuse problems. Through its reporting, the 
Delaware Gazette is raising awareness about this important local 
resource.
  This kind of reporting is what journalists do every day in every 
community in Utah, Rhode Island, Ohio, and across the country. That is 
why they are deserving of respect. We should reject the out-and-out 
attacks by the President of the United States and others who call 
journalism and journalists in the media enemies of the people. They 
serve their readers. They serve their viewers. They serve their 
communities. They deserve our respect.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.