On this Friday, Jan. 6, it might be good to remember a speech on another Jan. 6 that defined America's purpose

Friday, Jan. 6, is the second anniversary of the greatest attack on American democracy since the Civil War. Some apparently want to forget about it, but the news media have a moral obligation to remind them and to explain its importance, Michael Bugeja writes for The Poynter Institute.

Michael Bugeja

Bugeja, distinguished professor of journalism and former communications dean at Iowa State University, notes that a year ago, The Associated Press reported that “about 4 in 10 Republicans recall the attack — in which five people died — as violent, while 9 in 10 Democrats do,” and that The Washington Post said in an editorial last May that Jan. 6 “should have been a turning point in our politics.”

"It hasn't," Bugeja writes, reminding us of another Jan. 6, in 1941, when "President Franklin D. Roosevelt reminded Congress about its obligation to uphold democracy. The United States at the time was isolationist, even during Nazi attacks in the Battle of Britain. As the FDR Library notes, Roosevelt wanted to alert citizens that fascism not only threatened Europe but also our moral values. In helping Britain defend itself, America was advocating for universal freedoms everywhere.

"Excerpts from Roosevelt’s speech are eerily reminiscent of the dangers we face today, from emergent sectarianism in the U.S.; to the billionaire class of the privileged few; to dictatorial regimes of Russia, China and North Korea; and, finally, to the criminal desolation of the Ukrainian war. Democracy was being assailed, Roosevelt said, “either by arms, or by secret spreading of poisonous propaganda by those who seek to destroy unity and promote discord.” Bugeja notes that Donald Trump raised about $250 million "to 'Stop the Steal' and combat election fraud, but the bulk of that reportedly was diverted to other uses, including $40 million to Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC allied with Trump’s election bid.

Roosevelt's State of the Union address is best known for the Four Freedoms that he said the U.S. wanted to see all over the world: the freedoms of expression the worship, and freedom from want and fear of military aggression. "This is how Jan. 6 should be commemorated, a day when journalists remind the public about the greatness of democratic ideals and the necessary commitment required from the electorate to sustain them," Bugeja writes. "On Jan. 6, 2021, America lost its moral order and nearly its democracy. Unless journalists remind the world about our 'unity of purpose' — in commentary, articles, documentaries, podcasts and more — fears about 'the forgotten episode' will come true."