Twitter pushes back at Trump comments about media with #NotTheEnemy

President Donald Trump on Friday called the media “the enemy of the American people” in a Tweet that’s his latest criticism of outlets like the New York Times, CNN and more.

Though Trump’s tweet had 131,000 likes as of Saturday afternoon, not all of Twitter was in favor of his statement. The hashtag “NotTheEnemy” was trending on Saturday, with Twitter users (particularly journalists) sharing photos of reporters killed on the job and those whose work broke new ground.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., gave a nod to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who are known for their investigation of the Watergate Scandal in the 1970s.

“Nixon called them the enemy. They proved that no president is above the law,” McGovern tweeted.

Many users shared images of journalists who were killed reporting on foreign wars, while others remembered reporters killed in the U.S.

Others mentioned the role the press has historically played in the U.S., pointing out that journalism is specifically mentioned in the First Amendment and was defended in quotes by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

“Critical journalism was considered so sacred by Founding Fathers it was enshrined in the Constitution in 1791,” said one tweet.

Historic American journalists like Nellie Bly also popped up on the hashtag, making clear the effect journalism has had on policy and history.

And the focus wasn’t only on American journalists. One twitter user pointed out that Russian newspaper Noyava Gazeta has lost so many reporters that the publication’s office features a memorial cabinet for those who’ve been killed while working.

Other posts brought up the Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., which honors more than 2,000 journalists from around the world who died reporting the news.

Of course, not everyone was on board with the hashtag. Some Twitter users criticized outlets like Slate and New York Magazine for their coverage of the president, First Lady Melania Trump and members of the Trump administration. Others echoed Trump’s characterization of the media as dishonest and biased.

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Twitter pushes back at Trump comments about media with #NotTheEnemy."