If there is a silver lining in the era of Donald Trump (has it really been only two weeks?) it is the renewed appreciation the crucial role a fair, independent, unfettered press plays in a democracy.

In a time of job loss, doors closing and declining revenues for many traditional media outlets, and while fake news and thinly disguised propaganda rears its insidious, manipulative head, it is vital for the public to yearn for, and pay for, high quality, honest, professional journalism that challenges power, seeks truth and holds decision-makers to account.

But let’s get one thing straight: There is no THE MEDIA.

Just like there is no THE GOVERNMENT or THE POLICE or THE CHURCH or THE IMMIGRANTS.

As poet and painter William Blake once said, “To generalize is to be an idiot.”

It may be a sign of a weak mind but those who trade in these terms are often peddling paranoia and conspiracy theories or foisting an agenda by deliberating lumping many in as one.

Generalizing is both the cause and the effect of dangerously polarized views of the world. America, anyone?

So to be clear, there is no shadowy, monolithic media force controlling what you see and read and know. In fact, there has never been a time when the power of any individual mainstream media outlet has been more muted.

There are simply too many choices out there.

But make no mistake, the New York Times has no more in common with Fox News or Breitbart than the United Church has with the hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church or a hard-working, well-intentioned street constable in small-town Ontario has with a corrupt vice cop in Toronto.

Or that a jihadist has with a Syrian refugee trying to build a new peaceful life.

Yet on any given day on any social media channel you will find:

“The media lies.”

“The media only cares about selling papers or getting ratings.”

“The media is dying.”

People get miffed about how CTV or the CBC covered a story or find fault with their local newspaper and then get to ranting about “the media” being biased or only in it to sell advertising.

People who traffic themselves as media “experts” endlessly comment and commentate on coverage but most have never actually worked a day in a newsroom. They really have no idea but repeat the tired lines about “the media.”

Stop, just stop, lumping all news media together. There is no more uniformity or homogeneity in the media than there is in anything else in this chaotic, fragmented, diverse world we live in.

Plenty of people who scoff at the idea that all Muslims are terrorists are perfectly willing to say stupid things like: “The media got Donald Trump elected.”

Just as many of those who support the world view of the new president cast “the media” as a bunch of politically correct liberal elites out of touch with ordinary people.

But please note: the vast majority of people working in the media are middle-class and some of the most conservative people I know are journalists.

There is no media agenda. Anyone who has worked in the industry more than a couple of weeks will know that the daily grind of producing news means there is simply no time to be that organized.

Not to mention the fact that there would simply never be any agreement on what that agenda might be. There are media outlets, both corporately owned and non-profit, catering to each and every stop on the political and worldview spectrum, from the farthest right to the farthest left and everything in between.

Yes, the media industry is shifting, yes it’s shown deep flaws, yes many outlets are obsessed with eyeballs and clicks and making money, yes some organizations have made monstrous mistakes.

But enough with the simplistic search for a bogey man that doesn’t exist.

Trump has capitalized on the festering mistrust of institutions and when it comes to the media, a man who has a very broken relationship with honesty, endlessly repeats the line that journalists lie. It has been enormously effective with his base, as it has been with countless demagogues before him.

But I’m hopeful it is also reminding many people that relentless attacks on the media undermine democracy. Journalists aren’t good at defending themselves because that would mean dropping objectivity and detachment and wading into the story. So it’s up to citizens to speak up for good, independent journalism and call out the bad by name.

Remember that wherever you live, reporters are covering your city hall, the local police station, the legislatures, the courthouses, and your schools. A reporter is trying to dig up information someone powerful would rather you didn’t know. That journalist doesn’t care about ratings or circulation.

He or she just cares about the important job they’ve been lucky enough to be entrusted to do.

You should too.

-Meredith MacLeod