Hundreds of editorial boards from news outlets across the country are joining forces today to call out the importance of our free press amidst regular attacks on the media's credibility.

Readers, too, have weighed in, calling on their local newspapers and media outlets to join in the campaign.

To be sure, the hostile verbal attacks and the insipid "fake news" name-calling coming out of Washington, D.C. have reached unprecedented lows. Yet attempts to silence the press with bullying and lies is by no means unprecedented.

Here, on a near daily basis -- year after year -- subjects of news stories have attempted to duck scrutiny by telling The Oregonian/OregonLive reporters that they're lying, on a witch hunt or using high-profile stories as clickbait. Subjects sometimes call editors to complain. Some threaten lawsuits.

These attacks come from all political levels, all political stripes. Really, it comes from any rank or sector in which a journalist's work shines a bright light on an issue that others would prefer stay in the dark. Always have.

That's a part of what we do. Most reporters and editors consider it a success when a published piece causes both sides to pause and reflect. Unlike newsrooms, editorial boards have the freedom - in fact, the mission -- to call out politicians when necessary. Yet we must be careful about drawing lines that pit "us" versus "them." We risk playing into the very narrative that we are "enemies of the people" working together against one political viewpoint.

But then who would have guessed editorial boards would feel the need to publish headlines such as "Journalists are not the enemy," as did the Boston Globe, which launched tomorrow's #FreePress effort.

What do you think?

Has your perspective on the press changed over the past year? What is the biggest challenge facing the press?

Share your comments here or in a

.

The Oregonian/OregonLive's Editorial Board prides itself in providing a forum for ideas and constructive conversation through our editorials, letters to the editor and commentary pieces. It's a glorious process to behold when debates ignite or expand on our newspaper pages and online as readers fire back with their own letters and op-eds. Perhaps dueling writers learn from each other - at least the rest of us often do.

What's most concerning for us in this current, toxic environment is that some readers have gone guerrilla.

They've left our civil conversation online and in print to make personal attacks on other readers who've submitted letters to the editor and commentary. They mail preachy letters or nasty missives - some with a conservative bent, some pushing liberal views -- to writers' home addresses. It's a hostile tactic that leaves recipients wary to write again, chilling the dialogue we need to move forward.

Plain and simple, it's bullying - using words as a weapon to shut down opposing views. None of us should let that happen.

And unfortunately, one editorial on a random Thursday isn't likely to maintain our collective vigilance. We must seek out a range of viewpoints, aim for constructive conversations and rise above the toxic rhetoric to stay engaged -- just as journalists in newsrooms across the country do every day.

-- Laura Gunderson for The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Therese Bottomly and John Maher.

Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles. However, editorials are reported and written by either Laura Gunderson or Helen Jung.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.

If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.