News outlets have become more biased on both sides of the aisle, and America's trust in the media is at an all-time low. As someone who works in political communications and is very familiar with defamation cases, even toward media outlets, I’ve seen false reporting ruin people’s lives. But this unfortunate swing has caused us to forget that there is also a power of media for good.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, I woke up to a text from a colleague and friend, Silver Prout, who happened to be on vacation in Israel. The country has been hit by evil Hamas terrorists.
The tour company my colleague was with assured her she was OK for several days and to just wait it out. But in a country plagued by war, seconds matter.
Finally, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, I got the call that required action: Please get me out of here. Iceland and Brazil are rescuing their citizens, and Americans are stuck with canceled flight after canceled flight. There is no plan to get home, Tel Aviv isn’t safe, and the State Department is completely silent.
The plea was jarring, and though I had absolutely no idea how we would accomplish it, I promised her we would get her out.
My mind immediately went to using what I knew. Countless times we have used the media to help create change. I called a journalist whom I trusted to tell stories with truth, integrity, and conviction.
She jumped into action, and within minutes we were on a call with my colleague and a few others in her group who described the situation, what the plan (or lack thereof) was, and how ultimately we hoped that the Biden administration would get wind of these stranded Americans and send help before it was too late.
The story was posted that evening and told a grim tale of innocent tourists just looking for a way out. I shared it with dozens of other journalists and media figures who helped to amplify the story.
At that point, the courageous hero Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) had seen this story and heard of others and was on his way to Israel. I was soon put in touch with his chief of staff by an amazing podcast host, who was wholeheartedly committed to this mission. She had also seen the story and had been trying to get in touch with the group as I dialed her. Truly a miracle.
Her response: Send me her location, passport number, and date of birth. We can get to her in three hours.
Within 15 hours of that initial plea, the congressman had reached Prout with an armored vehicle and rescued her from an unknown fate. His team went on to pick up 31 other Americans, work with the ambassador to Jordan to cross the border, and travel safely to Amman where these Americans had the opportunity to fly home to their families.
Within hours of Prout's pickup, drone strikes were also rumored to have hit the very place where she was staying, and the entire region went on lockdown. The miracle of getting these Americans to safety started with a journalistic megaphone that spread around the world.
Mills exhibited the power of "America First" to do good, no matter who needs help or where they are.
Tragedies can often bring people together or tear them apart. Let us pray that this allows us to come together and hold on to our freedoms. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are two of the most important rights we hold in America and rights that many take for granted.
Amid the credibility of the media crashing, it’s also important to remember that there are still journalists trying to do what’s right and inform the public. There are still good stories all over the world that deserve to be told. And sometimes, they even save lives.
This article was originally published by The Washington Examiner.
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