We are not the people’s enemies. We are the eyes and ears of the people. And we are the people’s memory.
–Authors Guild President Roxana Robinson Feb 20, 2017
March 1, 2017
Mr. James Goldston President, ABC News 47 West 66th Street New York, NY 10023
Dear Mr. Goldston:
We write to you as former ABC News employees — correspondents, executive producers, field producers, writers, editors, camera operators, technicians — many of us now retired, alumni from an era that included such distinguished broadcasters as Peter Jennings, Ted Koppel, Sam Donaldson, Frank Reynolds, David Brinkley, Harry Reasoner, Barbara Walters and Howard K. Smith.
The recent exclusion of certain news organizations from a White House briefing is an alarming new development enacted by an administration that has declared war on respected media
outlets — including CNN, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, POLITICO and the BBC.
This is a disturbing new tactic from an administration that has branded the news media an “enemy of the people” and seeks to undermine the traditional role of a free press in American democracy. It is clearly retaliation against news organizations for reporting facts that are embarrassing to this President and his staff.
The New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet reacted by writing, “Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple administrations of different parties. We strongly protest the exclusion of The New York Times and the other news organizations. Free media access to a transparent government is obviously of crucial national interest.”
We note that AP, TIME and USA Today voluntarily refused to accept this policy, and boycotted the press briefing.
Subsequently both Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal announced that they will notparticipate in any future “exclusionary” briefings. The White House Correspondents Association also has protested.
We urge you to join other news organizations and take a public stand. Refuse to take part in any future White House briefings based on an “invitation list” of “who’s in/who’s out.”
Yours sincerely,
MEMBERS OF THE ABC NEWS EXTENDED FAMILY OF FORMER STAFF FROM AROUND THE WORLD
cc: Ben Sherwood
ABC News TV and Radio Correspondents
Roberta Bailey
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Av Westin
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Robin Ellis 
brava Meredith !!!
Well done Meredith!
BRAVA! oh very good, and effective too.
Bravo Meredith!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Great work! We have to stay aware. Proud to be associated with you both.
Deepest gratitude to each of you – bringing integrity, and truth and dignity to our country – our constitution….fresh air – thank you one and all…………..
This is excellent and impressive! Bravo, Meredith1
We NEED a free press (1st amendment!), and I applaud Meredith’s actions. My only question is: if this administration chooses who comes to briefings, who WILL we get our true news from?? This is unprecedented. My parents were small town newspaper people & must be rolling in their graves….
Let’s all hope “the truth will out”!
She is absolutely remarkable in every way! Can’t wait to see you both this spring. xors
We too (two!) are so looking forward to it, Randi.
Bravo, Meredith!! And I’m proud to see my cousin, Meredith Greene Megaw, on the list!!!
Hi, Deborah–go Merediths!
Well done Meredith!!! Shout it from the roof tops!!
Fran Shaw
Love this! Well done Meredith 👍👏
Meredith – you are amazing. Keep using your voice.
Well done, Meredith!
Good on you, Meredith! I have been seething with outrage over this (and pretty much everything) that has come out of this White House. Thank you for taking decisive action and garnering the suppport of such distinguished colleagues. Thank you too, Robin, for sharing!
You are rightly proud – what a terrific achievement! Love to you both. C
Hi Constantine–good to hear from you.
thanks for sharing this and much praise to your wife. Anne Fletcher, Tucson, AZ >
Thank you for sharing. Meredith is getting a standing ovation at my kitchen table with shouts of “BRAVA”, this morning. Thanks to Meredith for taking the lead and making a stand. This was an outrage, and grateful to see it being addressed by those associated with ABC news. Hopefully the organization itself will speak out as a result of this.
Brava, Meredith! I’m proud of you and all the other former employees of ABC for taking a stand. We are experiencing frightening times in America as we see our government manipulated beyond the principles of fair and just practices. It is the time for us to stand up to those who would damage our freedoms. Thank you!
Bravo! You brag and brag big time because she deserves it! This was a deplorable action upon the part of the White House. In fact, the whole fake-news-bash-the-media bit is completely out of line. I’d say it’s getting old except I know some people still believe it. So four stars for standing up.
Way to go Meredith! As Burke said ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ It certainly doesn’t apply at your kitchen table!
Go, Meredith!!!!!!!!
Bravo Meredith!!!!
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you, Meredith, for organizing this crucial statement to your former employer. There are no adjectives enough to describe the travesty that is the dismantling of democratic principles in the U.S. We stand strong together.
Amazing work, Meredith.
And nice to see such a proud husband!
It is most embarrassing to be an American citizen these days. I long for something simple: respect and truth from our leaders. It is something I gave my students every day as a teacher in public school.
And I expected it from them, as well.
Excellent! And Bravo Meredith!! i agree wholeheartedly.
Wow! That’s incredible! I read about this letter yesterday and thought, way to go! To find out that Meredith was behind it makes me cheer it even more. As a very long time liberal Democrat (and fan of yours since the first Poldark episode aired on PBS in 1977), it truly thrills and inspires me — especially at this horrible time in the U.S. — to know that not only does an actor I have long admired so much speak out so eloquently about the issues that matter to me as well, but that his wife does too, and did such an amazing thing.
Hello Mr. Ellis,
I recently stumbled upon your food blog while researching the old Poldark series and because I enjoyed the recipes and stories of cooking and travels, I signed up to receive updates.
There is, however, something I don’t understand and that is this: why do people of notoriety, especially those associated with the entertainment community, feel the need to push their political views on their audience? Political views have nothing to do with, for example, a food blog, and finding such posts causes me to lose my “appetite” for more.
I am happy for you that you have found a niche for yourself that brings you improved health along with financial success but because of your insertion of politics into it, I must remove myself from your mailing list. I send my best wishes for your continued success, keeping in mind that if there were no successful workers there would be no taxes to collect for the support of social programs.
With best wishes for good health for you,
Claudia Knaus Oroville, California USA
Hello Claudia. Sorry you feel that way and I wish you well.
Since when are celebrities devoid of their right to political thought and free speech? Only when they disagree with one’s own, I guess….
Excellent job getting their attention, Meredith! Hitler tried to silence the press, too. It’s a new nightmare every day when we turn on the news. Mortified, indeed!
Next big march will be April 29, the People’s Climate March. The NRDC will be leading the march in Washington, but there are other marches planned, including one in Boston that day. Beacon Street, here we come–my old stomping grounds!
Cheers & hugs–
Dianne & Gene
Dear Claudia, regarding your phrase “people of notoriety” according to the dictionary someone being famous or well know for something especially bad. I have been reading Robin’s blog for the past year and find the Ellis family rather delightful rather than people of notoriety. Since when do you get to dictate to someone how they write their blog? Bloggers put in a lot of time, energy and money into their blogs and they steer the course of it not you. I am not a joiner but since you are removing yourself from Robin’s mailing list I will sign up. Oh, before I forget I just retired and am enjoying my social security since I paid it into for decades. With best wishes for good health for you. Aloha, Ann R
Thank you very much for your encouraging words. I must echo prior posts and say how utterly embarrassed I am to be an American these days. We may be entering a cultural civil war and nothing good will come of it. Hate, sexism, racism and ‘money above all else’ seems to be the guiding tenets of our culture and government. I offer my sincere apology.
Very impressive Chris
Meredith,
Wow! Bravo on a powerful blow to the pretenders on the throne. Made my day. Bob
Well done, Meredith! Bravissima! Good post, Robin. Love K
Thanks, Keith
rxx
The problem is that the networks no longer print true news but rather print what big money tells them to print. These are no longer the networks of 20 years ago.
Guess you haven’t read many news articles from the Election of 1800…
I totally agree with you, Judy! I support our President! Way too much fake news!
I wish, just once, you people who shout “fake news” would give a bona fide example. You’re just spouting the party line. But save it for another forum if you do have any examples. I’m not requesting you do that here. Robin has a right to steer the direction of his blog, not us.
Bravo Meredith! We all have an obligation to take the actions we can to protect the values of our American democracy.
👍
Bravo Meredith! A free press is absolutely crucial!
Wonderful to read. We all need to keep up the resistance to this administration.
Carol
You go, Meredith! Tell ’em! Freedom of speech and the press wasn’t put first because the ammendments were put in alphabetical order. ~It came first because it was the most important! It’s going to be a long four years but we will come out stronger for it.
Thank you, Ms. Ellis, from an American who did not vote for Trump and is now an activist against his policies. Many of us are utterly mortified by this administration.
Peace,
Andrea Squires
Well done Meredith! These are scary days, and more of us need to make a stand for our freedoms.
Well done Meredith and Robin, you are justifiably proud.
Regarding the writer who felt you had no right to voice your political views, isn’t that always the opinion of those who disagree with you. If you had praised this horrible administration I’m sure she would have been fine with that.
Great job, Meredith! Thank you for helping to protect our first amendment rights! Bravo from me as well.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH MEREDITH
CLAIRE FROM BROOKLYN
BRAVO!!!!
Well done Meredith! Let’s hope more people get on board. Keep up he good work Joan
Sent from my iPad 0416194228
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This is a wonderful and very thoughtfully expressed viewpoint, that makes me feel heartened. For all the “water cooler talk” condemnations of the current administration, and frustration on how to address said frustration, it’s good to know so many people with a public voice are adding on to this letter. Short of pretending to be Canadian (which is difficult with my California accent and inability to name Canadian PM’s other than Pierre or Justin Trudeau), please continue to use this forum so that we don’t forget that we have voices, and they need to be heard. Bless you, Meredith and Robin!!
“that we don’t forget that we have voices”–worth repeating–thanks, Judy.
Well done, Meredith! 👍
Well done!
“Twixt kings and tyrannts there’s this difference known; Kings seek their subjects’ good: tyrannts their own.” Robert Herrick 1591-1674
Never stop fighting for what is right!
Brava, Meredith, and thank you, Robin, for sharing her letter on your blog, where I firmly believe you (or anyone else with a personal blog) have the right to post whatever you wish on whatever topic you wish, whether involving food, your acting career, your good wife, your cats, life in La Belle France, travels, politics or anything else that moves either of you. Whatever it might be, I and I’m sure many others are more that happy to read it!
Thank YOU for speaking out against that Orange Twit who knows no other way of communicating other than by Tweets. Well done Meredith👌🏻Glad I got to meet you when you and Robin were in Palo Alto, California. Keep on keepin’ on🙋🏻
Well done, Meredith! Thank you for defending our first amendment rights, and encouraging others to do so. We all need to stand together against those who want to take our rights away.
Excellent, Meredith. I think it is sounding like the 1930’s Germany. As a American, I am really scared what he will do next.
Robin, How wonderful. Meredith is certainly on the right, correct, side of the issues of the day. It is extraordinary that she still feels connected and cares about the current mess. Things are going to become messier as we go along and the final explosion, or implosion, will certainly be seen ’round the world as the U.S. coming apart at the seams. No longer “The Greatest Country On Earth” (We lost that title long ago), we are the shame and embarrassment of the world. It may not ever be possible to regain the title. (As long as it isn’t China or Russia to gain the title, I don’t care) I don’t think it is necessary. What is necessary is for us to regain respect, and that won’t happen with Trump in office. Thank Meredith for her Herculean efforts and tell her that she is thought about with great respect. I hope her letter evolves into something significant and that it will effect some change.
Bless you both,
Warm Regards, Fiona C.A. Cortland
Good on you Meredith! Robin, you have every right to feel proud. Good luck!
Hi Robin. Thank you for sharing this with us. You have every right to be proud of your wife! Thank you Meredith for trying your best to help improve the dire situation facing America at the moment. I was astounded when watching the recent press conference that sounded alarm bells for many of us. We can only hope your efforts are rewarded. Please keep us posted.
Best wishes to both of you as always, Heidi
BRAVA, Meredith!!!!!!
“The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Thomas Jefferson – 1787
Still relevant today.
Just brilliant, Meredith. Well done!
Brilliant Meredith
That is some initiative.
Now can you do something about Brexit!
best
John and Janet x
________________________________
Brava Meridith! How exciting. Nice to know it upset you too. This guy is driving me nuts.
Vicki Giger
Thank you, Meredith Wheeler!
This citizen of the U.S. is proud of you, too.
Bless you for still caring for us and speaking out in support of the free press.
And proud you should be Robin Ellis! And thank you for putting this in your blog…
Spreading knowledge, not “alternative facts” is of paramount importance these days.
Right on, Meredith! Yes! And thanks so much for sharing this, Robin. One good thing, perhaps the only good thing about the horror of the rise of 45 & Co. and the subsequent coup is that more and more people are becoming more and more politically involved as the situation becomes worse by the day. Thanks to you both for the help with the push back activism and energy. Now that the wheels have come off, we’re going to need a lot of help getting out of this ditch!
Many cheers and respect from this former journalist in New Zealand. Outstanding.
Well done Meredith. You have the bravery and the integrity to speak out and to put into clear language the truth of the situation. Sandy and I support you and wish you every success in bringing to attention the unacceptable behaviour which has been splattered out of the uncomfortable and dangerous practices of the present US government.
Well done Meredith
Thank you for getting involved & writing, getting signatures and support on this important issue. Wonderful to read, and see on your site.
Way to go, Meredith! I agree with Deborah A Fleming above. The whole world is in for a rough ride. I watch with increasing horror from across the border in Canada. I just pray he is impeached and removed before flinging us all into some nuclear abyss.
Jane and Dan Berical
With greetings and best wishes to you both, and special appreciation to Meredith for her efforts. Well done! The divisions here seem to be greater and greater, but speaking for the truth, the real truth, in defense of the first amendment, is key to winning this propaganda war…
Thanks and hello, Jane and Dan.
Dearest Meredith Wonderwoman! Journalists can have their mouth gagged, but we can hear their and Americans’ stomping increasing…..A nice Sunday to both!
Mrs. Ellis may wish to read Richard Kluger’s book Indelible Ink: The Trials of John Peter Zenger and the Birth of America’s Free Press. Old battle. Goes on forever.
Most US News media, including ABC, are NOT accurately reporting the facts as they are happening in the US concerning President Trump. The news media is biased against him, and it is sickening! The only way I, as a 66 year old US citizen, can know the truth, is to watch a total clip of the person talking to know what they said, and what was meant. So, unless you are fact checking the media, by watching the clips of the people speaking, then please do not assume the news media is reporting accurately. When I was a girl, it was known and accepted that our news media had a liberal bent. But now, they have crossed the line, and giving false impressions to promote their liberal agenda. Please stay out of US affairs right now, because we don’t need this from across the pond.
Examples please.
Ellen, when I was watching news media right before the election, false impressions were rampant because their dislike of Trump colored their reporting. They would not show how popular his rallies were to people. They never reported that people stood in line for hours to attend a rally. They would not report that paid agitators went to Trump rallies to cause violence to make Trump and supporters look bad. They called Trump a racist, fond of the KKK, against Latinos, and Jews. I knew this could not be true because of his own daughter and grandchildren being Jewish. I wish I had made a list for you back then because I am going from memory. Now, if they had been reporting facts, then we would have had a better picture of the situation, but instead we saw a world in shock after the election, especially the news people. I have never watched Breitbart as Les Jones assumed, but when I seek and find an entire clip of what a person has said, then Fox has been more accurate when it is about Trump and his people. But, when Obama was president, I didn’t believe half of what Fox said. Why don’t we remove all of this dialog and just admit that the US is divided over ideology. Some people lean toward social programs controlled by government, and some prefer smaller government control. Some want legal abortions and same sex marriage, and some don’t. Some want gloabalism to advance, and some prefer nationalism. The news media are people too, and gone are the days when we get news reported as facts. Their feelings are so strong they can’t hide them any more, and their news is colored. David Brinkley, Chet Huntley, and Walter Cronkite gave us facts bless them. We never knew how they felt. Now, all we have are “opinion heads” talking 24 hours a day. If I was allowed to make a plea, it would be, give us the honest facts regardless of how you personally feel.
Right on! Agree 100%
Nancy, Santa Fe
I’m sorry but your “examples” are not examples of fake news at all. I don’t recall rally size or people waiting in line being specifically reported or not for any candidate. Do you think people didn’t wait in line to see Clinton? I don’t remember it being reported. The photos of the rallies speak for themselves. Paid agitators is just a claim, not a proven fact. Also, how do you excuse the fact that Trump did not even mention Jews when he gave his Holocaust speech or that he doesn’t condemn attacks on Jewish centers unless he is publicly shamed into doing it? The fact that his daughter is a convert to Judaism does not alter his speech and actions. Latinos? Honestly? Trump said in his first speech that they were rapists and murderers!
Just look at what Trump himself calls fake news and ask yourself if he’s lying. Look at his whole birther obsession, and now he’s accusing Obama of wiretapping him. He lied about the size of his inauguration crowd and called the accurate photos “fake news.” He lied about it stopping raining when he began to speak when the photos showed the rain! I could go on and on.
You seem like a reasonable person so all I ask is that you honestly look at the statements that are reported and the statements that Trump makes, and judge them fairly instead of employing the Trump rallying cry of fake news. If you truly believe, e.g., that the media, and not Trump, lied about the size of his inauguration crowd, then I don’t think there is much hope for this country.
And although I enjoy our conversation (and I’m not trying to have the last word) I don’t want to continue because I don’t think this is the right forum. Robin’s post is about Meredith’s wonderful efforts to protect the first amendment and journalism. I don’t want to deflect from that.
Agree wholeheartedly with the writer’s response.
Cathy Van Atta, I do believe Meredith is an American and is exercising her right to free speech. I, as a 62 year old US citizen, have watched those same clips and speeches of Donald Trump and his followers and have concluded he is a dangerous idiot. I applaud efforts Americans in any part of the world is speaking up against this dangerous individual. The American political right are not the only people in the US of A. Aloha from across another pond,
Dear Ann, Thank you! Meredith
Agree 100%.
Nancy, NM
Perhaps Cathy believes Fox and Breitbart, which tend to pronounce opinions as if they are facts. Those are often the “fake news” sources, and there are many more out there. Yes, we should watch actual interviews, and these prove that Donald Trump is an arrogant, thin-skinned individual who has strange priorities (crowd size? Prayer for TV show ratings?) and believes in building walls instead of bridges. I don’t see compassion for the poor, perhaps because he’s never been there. I just wish he would quit with the wild accusations about wire tapping and believe the intelligence people. It’s a smokescreen to rile up his base. I also wish he had chosen wiser advisors; as one protest sign said, “IKEA has better cabinets.”
Robin and Meredith, we still have free speech! Keep using it. Thank you.
RIGHT ON!!!!!
So proud of Meredith and her fantastic action!! We need to stand together in support of true democracy. History has taught us that excluding and controlling the press and media are the first steps leading towards dictatorship.
The deeply concerning, extreme, far-right political rhetoric which is finding currency and ‘normalcy’ in America and across Europe, must be challenged on every level in exposing the truth. For this we need a free press with equal access.
Meredith, thank you so much for speaking out for the free press and free access for that press. I salute and commend your courage and tenacity in working to ensure that these precious parts of our democracy survive – and thrive, when better days come, as surely they must.
Robin, bravo indeed for being such a good man. I see much of Ross Poldark, also a lover of freedom and justice, in this post. If he were around today, I think he’d fight on your side.But whoever would have dreamed that we’d be fighting that battle once again, today, for the same freedoms and rights we won as a result of the American Revolution?
Thanks to both of you for being flag-bearers and leading the charge in the battle. Keep the faith, keep strong, and keep resisting those who would deny us those rights.
Well put! Agree 100%.
What a great testimonial to your wife and best friend.
She is the best! I am so proud to know her.
You lucky man. ❤
Just happened to sign up again and see posts after moving ‘South’ from New York. After seeing the letter to ABC orchestrated by Meredith I wished I could have signed myself being a former employee of the network. And one signature that would be there if he were doing his nightly newscasts is the one of the late Peter Jenning’s. His integrity of the news and its institutions would not keep him silent under the circumstances.
It is evident that with a POTUS like Mr. Trump, US media has a great challenge now and ahead of themselves when reporting and investigating all things relevant to the ‘news’. And this cannot be taken lightly since a free press is absolutely essential to have a healthy and functioning democracy. News institutions simply cannot be intimidated if the US still wants to be relevant in providing ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ for its citizens. Thank you.