WaPo editor to Harvard grads: Truth matter of 'life & death'

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — The Washington Post's top editor told Harvard University graduates Thursday that facts and truth have become “matters of life and death,” yet he warned that some leaders continue to “undermine the very idea of objective fact, all in pursuit of political gain.”

Executive editor Martin Baron never mentioned President Donald Trump by name during his virtual commencement address, but he took veiled swipes at the president's attacks on the press and his clashes with the science community.

Baron warned of growing threats to the press and free expression, but also to science, medicine and the idea of fact itself. He said the stakes have been laid bare amid the coronavirus pandemic, as misinformation puts people's lives at risk.

“The public’s safety requires the honest truth,” Baron told Harvard's graduating class. “Yet education, expertise, experience and evidence are being devalued, dismissed and denied. The goal is clear: to undermine the very idea of objective fact, all in pursuit of political gain.”

The Post is a frequent target for Trump, who routinely dismisses coverage he doesn't like as “fake news.” He often takes to Twitter to voice his frustration and has repeatedly called the Post and other outlets “the enemy of the people.”

Yet Trump himself has faced mounting scrutiny over the truth of his claims. Twitter added fact checks to two of his tweets this week, the first time the platform had taken such action, prompting Trump to accuse the company of “stifling free speech."

During his speech, Baron decried efforts to demonize the press in the United States, saying they embolden other governments to do the same, including in China, Turkey and Mexico.

He cited an increase in journalists being imprisoned around the...