The Arizona Republic is one of several conservative-leaning media outlets that has broken with tradition to warn readers about Trump, explaining that his principles are "bad for the party, bad for Arizona, dangerous for America." Never in its 126-year-history has The Republic endorsed a Democrat for president, and Republic Media publisher Mi-Ai Parrish knew the decision would upset some readers.

"We made our choice soberly," Parrish wrote in a response to the backlash. "We knew it would be unpopular with many people. We knew that, although we had clearly stated our objections to Trump, it would be a big deal for a conservative editorial board in a conservative state to break ranks from the party."



But little could have prepared Parrish for the violent messages that the paper’s staff has received. Here’s a sampling of the abusive messages that rendered her "speechless":

YOU’RE DEAD. WATCH YOUR BACK.

WE WILL BURN YOU DOWN.

YOU SHOULD BE PUT IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD AS A TRAITOR.

Parrish responded to the anger with a letter defending both staff and the First Amendment. Rather than adopt an angry or indignant tone herself, Parrish’s letter is graceful and eloquent:

To those who said we should be shut down, burned down, who said they hoped we would cease to exist under a new presidential administration, I give you Nicole. She is our editor who directs the news staff, independent of our endorsements. After your threats, Nicole put on her press badge and walked with her reporters and photographers into the latest Donald Trump rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz. She stood as Trump encouraged his followers to heckle and boo and bully journalists. Then she came back to the newsroom to ensure our coverage was fair. Nicole knows free speech requires an open debate.

To those of you who have said that someone who disagrees with you deserves to be punished, I give you Phil. Our editorial page editor is a lifelong Republican, a conservative and a patriot. He was an early voice of reason, arguing calmly that Donald Trump didn’t represent the values of the party he loves. Phil understands that free speech sometimes requires bravery.

To those of you who have spit on, threatened with violence, screamed at and bullied the young people going door-to-door selling subscriptions, I give you those dozens of young men and women themselves. Many sell subscriptions to work their way through school. Most were too frightened to share even their first names here. But they are still on the job. They know that free speech is part of a society that values hard work and equal opportunity.

Read the rest of Parrish’s letter here.

Election Day is Nov. 8. If you haven’t registered to vote yet, you can do so here.



Follow Prachi on Twitter.

Prachi Gupta Prachi Gupta is an award-winning journalist based in New York.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io