Marty Baron, former executive editor of The Washington Post, cautioned Missouri journalists that American democracy and the free flow of reliable information can no longer be taken for granted and warned that the nation faces a crisis of truth that threatens press freedom and public trust.
Speaking Nov. 2, in Frontenac at the Gateway Journalism Review’s First Amendment Celebration, Baron blended alarm and determination, saying constitutional protections once seen as unshakable may be at real risk.
The event also marked the 100th birthday of Holocaust survivor Charles Klotzer, a longtime journalist, newspaper publisher and founder of the Journalism Review, created to hold those in the profession accountable for their news coverage.
Baron, who also held top editorial roles at The Boston Globe and Miami Herald, traced a line from historic press freedom battles to today’s climate. He cited the Pentagon Papers, Watergate and the Globe’s clergy-abuse investigation as proof that journalism’s “highest calling” is holding the powerful to account. But he fears that foundation has grown fragile.
“I no longer take any of that for granted,” he said. “I can’t be certain the rule of law will prevail. Can’t be confident that a free press will endure — or that free expression for all Americans will either.”
He described a political environment where leaders attack reality, undermine facts and blur the line between truth and propaganda. He warned that authoritarians first try to discredit “independent arbiters of fact,” including reporters, judges and scholars. When that trust erodes, he said, communities become vulnerable to manipulation and silence.
Baron tied those concerns to real-world examples, noting how independent journalists in Nicaragua and Guatemala have been jailed or forced into exile. The lesson, he said, is that rights can erode “step by step” when power goes unchecked.
He also pointed to domestic pressure on media companies, especially through ownership and regulation. He described news organizations whose owners face regulatory leverage, political retaliation or business incentives to appease power, saying that such pressure already has reshaped parts of the media landscape.
He referenced recent Federal Communications Commission actions targeting major networks and high-profile journalists, arguing they illustrate how political figures can try to intimidate the press.
Baron also warned that economic fragility makes newsrooms more vulnerable. He urged media organizations to shift away from dependence on social platforms and instead build direct relationships with audiences that value verification and independent reporting. That argument challenges the dominant thinking in many newsrooms, where leaders believe long-term survival requires chasing audiences on the digital platforms where so many news consumers have migrated.
“News outlets must navigate away from a dependence on traffic from search engines and social media,” Baron said. “That means cultivating a genuinely loyal, trusting base of readers, listeners and viewers who show support with subscriptions or memberships.”
Instability, he said, is now a permanent condition, requiring innovation and collaboration “from chief executives to union chiefs.”
He also urged journalists to maintain humility and fairness rather than adopt a combative stance. “We are not at war. We are at work,” he said, calling for evidence-based reporting and transparency. Audiences, he stressed, should see their own struggles and aspirations reflected in news coverage.
Baron acknowledged the enormous threat posed by disinformation and artificial intelligence, but he refused to surrender to cynicism. Citing Madeleine Albright, he described himself as “an optimist who worries a lot,” arguing that truth, transparency, and public vigilance can still prevail.
He closed by returning to history, noting that attempts to silence journalists stretch back centuries. Democracy, he said, depends on “steadfast vigilance of the conduct of the public officials they choose to lead them.”
After his remarks, Baron met with St. Louis American Publisher Donald M. Suggs, Executive Editor Rod Hicks and Contributing Editor Fred Sweets, a longtime friend, for a discussion on the state of journalism and other industry topics.
Before the event ended, the audience sang happy birthday to Klotzer, who began his journalism career in 1948 at the Troy Tribune in Illinois and held numerous journalism roles since, including publisher of the Greater St. Louis Jewish Star in the 1950s.
Klotzer urged the journalists to defend free expression “irrespective of any fears which may penetrate you,” adding, “I hope that your own stamina will overcome any intimidation you might feel. Thank you for being here, thank you for supporting the free press and thank you for supporting the Journalism Review.”