Symbiosis

Thanks to Martin Luther and those standing on his shoulders, the tradition of free thought and expression, critical of those in power, became a bubbling ethos resulting ultimately in the revolutions that bestowed on us democracy and journalism.

I love words. Stopping to fully appreciate the nuance of meaning and etymology of a word is not just a pleasure, it’s crucial. Words are the mirror we hold up to reality as a we observe it.

Words and language, are the portal to understanding each other and the universe we inhabit. Maybe we could call language the “original metaverse”, a construct that bridges our individual minds, to create a shared reality, understanding and hopefully truth.

Sometimes I like to just say them out loud because they feel good. The unique shape each word forces your mouth to make is a type of poetry built by distinctive vowel, consonant patterns. Some of NPR’s reporter names are particularly delightful - Sylvia Poggioli, Shankar Vedantum, Tovia Smith, Domenico Montonaro, Doualy Xaykaothao – there are so many good ones. (If you don’t know how to pronounce them, check out their stories on npr.org. Totally worth it.)

Symbiosis has snared me today. It looks and sounds like its meaning. A lovely, sibilant, start and finish, like a feedback cycle. You might say it’s a sexy word.

"Symbiosis Gathering 2013" by foxgrrl is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. — I came across this surprisingly apt image when searching for my word of the day, taken at Symbiosis Festival 2013, an event described as similar to Burning Man. I’m not sure what’s taking place here but the couple seem to be undertaking something “symbiotic”. Photo: foxgrrl

Its early origins are from the Greek words sumbios and sumbioun, meaning “companion” and “living together”. Yowzah, this bikini clad word is an alluring siren ready for her next beach cocktail at the commune.

Today, we largely apply this word to a description of mutually beneficial relationships in nature, such as that of the clownfish and sea anemone.

"Clown fish" by Daniel Dionne is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. — *Clownfish, Vancouver Aquarium. Photo:* Daniel Dionne

Although, some forms are not mutually beneficial such as parasitism. Leeches are a cringy example of this type of symbiosis, in which one species slowly feeds off another causing the host to little by little sicken or possibly die.

If there are kids anywhere in your orbit, you may have passively picked up this nature tidbit about the clownfish and see anemone and their beneficial camaraderie from Pixar and Disney’s, Finding Nemo.

The real deal in nature works this way. The sea anemone paralyzes its prey with stinging cells in their tendrils called nematocysts which release a toxin. The clownfish neutralizes the toxin with a mucus that protects its body by suppressing the paralytic signal from the anemone. How beautiful is that?

"My First Nemo Shoot" by Ridho Nur Imansyah is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. — *Photo:* Ridho Nur Imansyah

The clownfish get to live rent free amongst the anemone’s stinging tentacles and the anemone have attractive residents that bring other prey to their trap, plus nutrients from their tenant’s “fertilizer deposits”, that is poop.

It’s symbiotic and mutually beneficial.

An important mutualistic, symbiotic relationship for Americans, is democracy and journalism. We can’t have one without the other.

To understand why, let’s back track to how the United States and other democracies came to be.

Democracy and journalism evolved together in the late 18th Century, enabled by the companion technological advances of the mechanized printing press in Europe, which expedited public literacy thru newly affordable books and tracts, plus the establishment of a reliable postal system facilitating the regular sharing of information and news across regions and nations. In short, people could read and send messages over long distances for the first time.

This hallmark change resulted in the first best seller, the Gutenberg Bible in 1439, and the first break out, social media star of the age, an unknown monk from a German backwater, Martin Luther.

Gutenberg Bible Photo: NYC Wanderer

95 Theses door. Photo: Harald Henkel

When Luther famously tacked his 95 theses, that is arguments or theories, to the church door challenging papal authority and the Catholic Church in 1517, he also kicked the door open to the early modern period which culminates with the French Revolution and the birth of democracy throughout western Europe and the United States. If you want to understand the birth of democracy, look at Luther. His

"Martin Luther" by empeiria is marked with CC BY 2.0. — *Martin Luther Image:* Jörg Lohrer

His rock star status was due to his ability to harness this new medium like no one before. He wrote in the vernacular, that is, not Latin but the local language, German. So everyday folks could read it. And he didn’t hold back, so everyday folks wanted to read it. He was notorious for salty, direct, pithy tracts on why the Catholic Church needed to reform.

Classics like:

“I would not smell the foul odor of your name.” - From Concerning the Ministry, pg. 17, Vol. 40, Luther’s Works

“You vulgar boor, blockhead, and lout, you ass to cap all asses, screaming your heehaws.” - From Against Hanswurst, pg. 212, Vol. 41, Luther’s Works

“I can with good conscience consider you a fart-ass and an enemy of God.” - From Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil, pg. 344, Vol. 41, Luther's Works

We have Martin Luther, and those standing on his shoulders, to thank for the tradition of free thought and expression, holding those in power to account.

That early modern primordial ooze of free speech ultimately resulted in the revolutions that bestowed on us democracy and journalism. Two sides of the coin, one informing the other.

That’s cause for celebration, cue the fireworks.

"Macy's 4th of July Fireworks over the Hudson River & Manhattan (large)" by caruba is marked with CC BY-NC 2.0. — Celebrating the birth of our nation with fireworks began the first anniversary following the American Revolution in Philadelphia, July 4, 1777. Photo: Caruba, July 4, New York, 2009

Andrew Pettegrew’s illuminationg book The Invention of News helps us see the tremendous value we, ordinary people, have in the treasure of a free press.

At the beginning of the fourteenth century only the rich and powerful could afford the cost of maintaining a network of couriers; as a result, those in positions of power largely determined what information should be shared with other citizens. By the eighteenth century relatively ordinary citizens could travel, send and receive mail, or purchase news reports.

It is only with the great events of the end of the eighteenth century – the struggle for press freedom in England and the French and American revolutions – that newspapers found a strong editorial voice, and at that point a career in journalism became a real possibility.

"Ben Franklin with the US Constitution" by FotoGuy 49057 is marked with CC BY 2.0. — Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father and publisher of the the influential American Revolutionary War newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette. Photo: FotoGuy 49057

Democracy and journalism need each other to survive. If one fails, so will the other. Democracy cannot and will not continue to give us its anemone like protection from the oppression of authoritarianism, and its bounty of self-determination (i.e., liberty) without its partner the Fourth Estate, a free, vigorous, and trusted professional press.

How are we doing? 1800 newspapers have closed since 2004, according to the work of Professor Penny Abernathy of University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, who has been researching another new American “desert” phenomenon, the news desert.

Abernathy told the Poynter Institute in 2021 why we should care, “And when you lose a small daily or a weekly, you lose the journalist who was gonna show up at your school board meeting, your planning board meeting, your county commissioner meeting.

Communities lose transparency and accountability. Then, she said, research shows that taxes go up and voter participation goes down.”

This fact bears repeating. When you no longer have an observer, a chronicler, an advocate for the citizen, watching over the actions of those in power – taxes go up and voter participation goes down. In darkness, corruption and ineptitude flourish.

Watercolor: Wasfi Akab

Image: jarnocan

Why have we lost these local newspapers? The revenue from classifieds, ads, and subscriptions that once funded our nationwide quilt of local newspapers now goes to the likes of Facebook and Google, among others.

They’re also being gobbled up by hedge funds and consolidated into just 25 ownership chains that turn them into “ghost papers” as the same UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media report dubs them. Newspapers that have laid off the journalists, sold off the assets in real estate and equipment, leaving a shell of the organization that once served the local community with authentic journalism. They publish but it’s like cascarones or Mexican Easter eggs, thin egg shells emptied and filled with confetti, there’s a lot of fluff and cookie cutter national news – not much protein or substance, or real local reporting on what those in power are doing locally.

"Fun-fetti" by Nieve44/Luz is marked with CC BY 2.0. — Cascarones Photo: Nieve44/Luz

But journalists haven’t given up. There are impressive experiments underway across the country in small and large news organizations working to find new revenue models to support their important work. Hero journalism motivates these efforts and the understanding that democracy is on the line.

It’s no mistake that Superman chose a journalist for his alter ego. They are the watchers. They look for those in distress or being preyed upon by the powerful and fly in to help by shining a light on the problem. We should hold them in the same esteem as other civil servants – like teachers, nurses, and firefighters.

"Superman Card Game by Whitman (1978) - Clark Kent" by andertoons is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse — Clark Kent - Superman Card Game by Whitman (1978) - Photo: Mark Anderson

And like other civil servants, journalists must be able to make a living wage and do their work without threat of violence or harassment. The recent mass exodus of nurses, doctors and now teachers shows that no profession is immune to the corrosion caused by constant risk and cheap compensation.

Remember that leech, slowly feeding off its host? Democracy’s parasites are those who attack the legitimacy of journalism to serve political aims and avoid accountability, misinformation that we share through social channels, and disinformation that is fed to us by those looking to shape the narrative mostly for power, money, and forms of radicalization.

"Leech Ball" by lets.book is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. — Ankle attacked by leeches. Photo: lets.book

Or as the charming Luther might have described it, “Your words are so foolishly and ignorantly composed that I cannot believe you understand them.” - From Explanations of the Ninety-Five Theses, page 87, Vol. 31, Luther’s Works

If we are to hold on to our fragile freedom we have to go on the offensive with our personal (votes, money, values, time) and collective (laws, taxes, enforcement, advocacy) to protect democracy, journalism and their partnership.

Recently, two opportunities for shared support were making their way through Congress.

First, the Build Back Better legislation, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives along party lines in November of 2021, which includes a significant tax break for local newspapers (among other provisions like free Pre-K and childcare for kids under six, adding hearing to Medicare, four weeks of paid family leave per year, electric car infrastructure, drug cost reduction, climate change remediation, and more.)

Democrats voting for it and Republicans against. But the legislation is dead. Although a law may be passed with 51 votes, the filibuster will prevent the vote from taking place. That’s a rule that requires 60 votes to stop debate and allow the vote to proceed. There are not enough Republican Senators supporting the legislation to allow it to come up for a vote. Nor can the rule be changed to allow a vote at this time, as there are two Democratic Senators who do not support limiting or ending the filibuster.

Second, the Local Journalism Sustainability Act which would allow up to a $250 tax credit annually, for 5 years, to individuals for subscribing or donating to a local news publisher, plus significant tax credits for local news rooms on their payroll costs for staff journalists. This legislation is imperfect due to a few holes in the details of the incentives but it’s a start, and perfect is the enemy of the good. However, it’s also DOA. While it has bipartisan support in the U.S. House, there are no Republican allies in the Senate.

"Newspapers" by chrismetcalfTV is marked with CC BY 2.0. — Downtown Chicago newstand. Photo: chrismetcalfTV

It's not unlike other measures we’ve taken as a nation in the past to support industry or philanthropic activities that are deemed necessary or beneficial to the public good but its future is stuck in congress for now.

A similar initiative was approved and began in Canada starting in 2019. While the numbers show only 1% of the more than 27 million Canadian taxpayers took advantage of the subscription reimbursement option, the news publishers there found it to be a good incentive to maintain their current subscribers. They also believe the 15% tax reimbursement incentive was too low and that something between 25% to 50% would get more new customers in the door. The payroll tax break for journalists was the biggest game changer for supporting their financial health.

That’s good news since the U.S. version includes both a payroll tax reduction and higher reimbursement rates for the subscribers - 80% for the initial year, and 50% for four additional years. I’m not holding my breath but still hope it might find traction in congress as some point, either through a Democratic filibuster proof majority or bipartisan support.

Another notable innovation on the horizon in another country is a new directive from the European Union Commission allowing journalists and NGOs to ask the courts there to throw out “manifestly unfounded” cases. The goal is to reduce the ballooning incidence of abusive suits against them in what’s called a “strategic lawsuit against public participation”, or Slapp. That’s when a wealthy individual or company attempts to use the law to threaten or silence journalists or other organizations that report on their actions.

Sound familiar? It’s the sort of regressive restraint of speech that could take us back to the pre-Luther and Gutenberg Bible days, a time when information was the domain of the wealthy and powerful and we were not privy to what was really happening to us.

A contemporary example of a people living uninformed are the Russians who do not believe their nation is the aggressor responsible for the atrocities in Ukraine. The Russian people, save the few that have found a way around the information blockade and consume more than state media, are passive accomplices to the barbarism of their authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin. And with no real vote or democracy, or press freedom to open their minds and hearts, powerless to change it.

"Panic Alarm sign, toilet, NYU Campus, Personal Democracy Forum, New York City, NY, USA" by gruntzooki is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. — *Photo:* Cory Doctorow

If your conscience is telling you to do something now, you can help with a free enterprise solution, subscribe to a local news source. One that practices real journalism, invests profits back into serving the local community, that has a retraction and editorial policy, that labels the opinion pieces clearly versus the straight reporting, to name just a few. There are many more attributes that define the guardrails of journalism (versus garbage news). If you’re interested in learning more, my previous post, “If Bob Woodward says it’s true, is it?” will help you recognize the good stuff.

Only 21% of Americans pay for their news, although that’s up from 16% two years prior, according to the Digital News Report for 2021, produced by the Reuters Institute. That’s good news and bad. It’s gone up possibly due to paywalls that news sources have put up to try and save their income model causing the motivated news consumers to subscribe. But the dominant trend in the U.S. is checking out of news altogether due in part to being locked out by the cost and/or fatigue from too much conflict and bad news.

The problem is, turning away from authentic journalism leaves us vulnerable to trash information, and too uneducated to make good choices both for ourselves and when choosing our leaders. It leaves us open to becoming the next Russia, just riders in a car with no steering wheel driven remotely by forces out of our sight or control.

So I’m a payer. My local news tithe goes to The Dallas Morning News, Texas Tribune, and KERA the NPR/PBS station in Dallas.

If you’re looking to invest philanthropy dollars, check out Report for America. They were recently featured on 60 Minutes. Their mission is to put reporters back in those places that have become news deserts with a simple, elegant tactic - pay part of the salary needed to hire a journalist plus helping the local news organization learn how to raise funds to pay the salary once donor support is phased out. They are making an impact right now and I hope will continue to grow.

Like Nemo and his pal the anemone, protecting journalism creates a mutually beneficial symbiosis - say that again, it sounds so nice, symbiosis – that will feed us and leave a legacy of democracy for generations to come.

** Thanks for reading! Your comments are welcome below. **

Sources:

Symbiosis

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/symbiosis-art-living-together/

https://www.etymonline.com/word/symbiosis

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/leech

https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/parasitism

Nemo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finding_Nemo

https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/finding-nemo/5Gpj2XqF7BV2

https://www.scuba.com/blog/explore-the-blue/meet-real-cast-finding-nemo/

Printing Press and Postal System