We’ve entered a troubling era in American society when facts are being distorted and completely ignored in a more blatant manner than ever before, and we need your help.

Our role as watchdogs has never been more important. What is new, however, is having the general public subjected to outright lies by the president of the United States on a regular basis.

All citizens should be concerned about the brazen way President Donald Trump’s administration is spewing false and easily disprovable “alternative facts,” as described by Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to the president, in a Jan. 22 interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

In a speech given at the CIA headquarters on Jan. 21, Trump said over a million people appeared in attendance at his inauguration. These figures Trump has cited on more than one occasion are false, according to a Jan. 21 Fox News article and a Jan. 21 New York Times article, respectively.

If something as inconsequential as crowd size at an inaugural event invokes a bold-faced lie, who’s to say a more important topic will not be subjected to the same distortion?

What’s more disturbing is that the president is now lashing out at media organizations for correcting the falsehoods coming from his administration. Trump is setting a dangerous precedent — one which we, as journalists, need to help combat.

“In a society that is founded on the principles of democracy, we need people to believe in well-constructed, thoroughly researched journalism,” said media studies professor Laura Vazquez.

Vazquez is correct. We’re in the midst of an all-out attack on the media by the president. Reputable sources such as CNN and The New York Times are being characterized as “fake news” outlets by the president for reporting stories or facts — actual facts, not “alternative” ones — that he does not like.

Furthermore, on Inauguration Day, six journalists were arrested and charged with felony rioting for doing what we rely on them to do: cover the news. We’re headed down a dangerous path if this is how journalists can expect to be treated going forward.

“It worries me when I live in a society where we are questioning or punishing journalists for doing their job,” Vazquez said. “The last repressive society that did that was Nazi Germany.”

Charges against four of the journalists have since been dropped, according to a Jan. 30 Washington Post article. However, these individuals should never have been detained to begin with.

“The news media have a constitutional right to report [Trump’s] decisions and [Trump’s] actions so that they can legitimately report to the people so we can have the information we need to make decisions about our leaders,” said communication associate professor Ferald Bryan.

During an African-American History Month “listening session” Trump attended Feb. 1, he took the opportunity again to blast the media as dishonest and labeled them “the opposition party,” according to a Feb. 1 CBS News article.

As a journalist, I’m troubled by how the media is being characterized by the president. I opted to pursue this career because I wanted to contribute to the longstanding practice of reporting facts to the public and keeping our elected officials honest through diligent reporting.

To see these two principles ridiculed by the president of the U.S., to thunderous applause by his supporters, is incredibly discouraging.

To journalists nationwide, I make the following plea: remain vigilant. Your role in holding our public officials accountable is an important and powerful one, which is why you’re receiving such pushback from this administration. Stand in solidarity with your fellow journalists, especially those under attack by the president, united in your role as our much-needed fourth estate.