The government is declaring war on the press and the press is fighting to uphold the journalistic freedom necessary for democracy to function. Genuine news media outlets are discredited at every turn while fake news — the real fake news — gains influence. It’s no wonder that public trust in the media is at an unprecedented low.

But it’s not just a battle between Trump and The New York Times. Everyone’s freedom is at stake if the press is silenced and power goes unchecked. Public trust in a free press has actually never been more vital. How do we begin to bridge the divide between the public and the press and together, keep our government accountable?

On April 28, 2017, as a part of the BRIC OPEN Festival, BRIC TV hosted The People, The Press & The President: A #BHeard Town Hall. Our esteemed panel included Kyle Pope, Editor-in-Chief of Columbia Journalism Review, Naomi Wolf, Author, Political Activist, and Co-Founder of Daily Clout, Walter Mosley, Novelist and Social Commentator, Jeff Jarvis, Director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, Ali Gharib, Chief Politics Editor at Mic News, and Sheryl Huggins Salomon, Senior Editor-At-Large at The Root.

Watch as these luminaries engage in dialogue around the current climate of journalism and the press, and solutions to rebuilding public trust around it.

This video is from BRIC TV— the first 24/7 television channel created by, for, and about Brooklyn. It is the borough’s source for local news, Brooklyn culture, civic affairs, music, arts, sports, and technology. BRIC TV features programming produced and curated by BRIC, an arts and media nonprofit located in Downtown Brooklyn, NYC.