Even though the right to carry weapons is absolutely guaranteed by the Bill of Rights (in the Second Amendment), there are many states, and far too many cities, that require you to obtain a license in order to exercise that right.
Interestingly, we have never gone that far with the right to a free press.
Even though the right to be a journalist is similarly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights (in the First Amendment), no state dares to require a person to first obtain a license before attempting to practice journalism.
This has been one of those weeks in which many Americans watching the news have found themselves questioning the logic of this clear contradiction.
On Thursday morning, March 12, there were two terrorist attacks.
One occurred at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and the other took place at Temple Israel, a synagogue and school in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
At each one, a homicidal jihadist attempted mass murder. Fortunately, in both cases, the attackers were quickly and completely subdued, without succeeding in committing anywhere near as much damage as they had attempted.
But also, in both cases, the nature of the perpetrators was clear: they were jihadists, motivated by the standard radical Islamofascist desire to commit mass murder against innocent non-Muslims.
The attacker in Norfolk was Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, convicted of plotting terrorism with ISIS a decade ago, and released from jail for that crime during the final year of the Biden-Harris regime, some three years before his sentence was up. (Were it not for this early release, he would have been safely sitting in jail, perfectly harmless, this week).
The attacker in West Bloomfield was Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, an immigrant from Lebanon, who lived in Dearborn Heights, MI. He armed himself with a rifle, packed his car with explosives, and crashed through the doors of this innocent synogogue and school, detonating his IED once inside the building.
And yet, there have been numerous reporters going on the air, or filing stories in the press, saying that the motivation of both of these attackers was unknown.
As a writer myself, I certainly endorse the importance of waiting for confirmation before spouting unproven theories in a news article. Yes, until it’s certain, and unless it’s obvious, reporters should withhold judgment.
But this isn’t one of those cases.
In both of Thursday’s attacks, the motivation of the attackers – both of whom were fortunately subdued and terminated on site in self defense, one by security guards and the other by passers-by – was painfully clear.
It doesn’t take a degree in criminology to figure out why jihadists attempt mass shootings or bombings. They do their part for jihad because they are jihadists.
It’s in the name.
This brings us back to the original question. Should we really allow just anybody to report the news, when this practice so frequently results in utterly nonsensical reporting, and does the news-consuming public nothing but disservice?
My libertarian heart warns me against the concept of violating the Constitution by demanding that reporters be licensed.
But my practical mind disagrees, and I cannot help but consider the potential value of requiring people to somehow prove that they have functioning brains, before allowing them to get a job as a reporter.
Copyright 2026 John F Di Leo
John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based international transportation and trade compliance trainer, speaker, and consultant. A President of the Ethnic American Council in the 1980s and Chairman of the Milwaukee County Republican Party in the 1990s, his book on vote fraud (The Tales of Little Pavel), his political satires on the Biden-Harris administration (Evening Soup with Basement Joe, Volumes I, II, and III), and his first nonfiction book, “Current Events and the Issues of Our Age,” are all available in either eBook or paperback, only on Amazon. His trade compliance training practice is available either in person or by webinar.
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