Joseph Holt, an ethics professor at the University of Notre Dame, compared reporters to soldiers in a recent CNN op-ed.

Holt argued in the piece, published on Friday, that the press is the “protector” rather than the “enemy” of the people. Throughout his article, Holt defended the “professionalism” of CNN journalists and compared the media to “guardian angel[s]” and “soldiers.”

“Far from being the enemy of the people, the press at its best is like a guardian angel that caringly and capably protects us from harm,” Holt wrote.

He concluded, “We thank soldiers for their service because they devote themselves to protecting our freedoms, and we should. But we should also thank the media for the same reason — especially when the stakes have never been higher.”

The outlet was attacked on social media for publishing the comparison between reporters and soldiers.

Shame on @CNN. It is disgraceful for any “news” corporation to engage in this caliber of self-flagellation while minimizing the true sacrifice of our armed forces. pic.twitter.com/tJvWiU8S75 — Elliott Hamilton (@ElliottRHams) August 7, 2018

why did I read this in Acosta’s voice why was it so on brandhttps://t.co/lyCEY7Le0G pic.twitter.com/HnZssVGcei — Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) August 7, 2018

.@BusEthicsDude wrote this atrocious take: “We thank soldiers for their service because they devote themselves to protecting our freedoms, and we should. But we should also thank the media for the same reason — especially when the stakes have never been higher.” Ratio this lib. https://t.co/Mn87Orr9vJ — Jeremiah Stephan Dunleavy IV (@JerryDunleavy) August 7, 2018

How do you write this and think, “Yes, this is good” and then submit it through edits where another person thinks, “Yes, let’s publish this.” https://t.co/yqhMudPkFG pic.twitter.com/hcX2jsdDMd — Natalie Johnson (@nataliejohnsonn) August 7, 2018

Never have so many been so impressed with themselves for so little apparent reason… https://t.co/g4mxCuTjRH — Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) August 7, 2018

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