To the Editor:

Re “The Growing Threat to Journalism Around the World” (nytimes.com, Sept. 23): I applaud the Op-Ed article by A.G. Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times.

As a child of the Cold War, I grew up with the belief that we were the good guys precisely because of our free press. As a public relations professional for 30 years, I respected the skilled reporters who wrote articles that sometimes took my organizations to task, and rightly so, for these reporters helped push for change when it was needed. When articles were inaccurate, was it possible that I was to blame for poor communication?

When I hear this administration demean and attack reporters, I am shocked and saddened beyond words. We have lost something precious. If we can no longer stand up and speak the truth, who will?

Susan Sponar

Tijeras, N.M.