Since taking office, President Donald Trump has consistently attacked media outlets. He didn't shy away from his mantra of 'fake news' during Monday's trip to Central New York. 

"I'm so proud of myself, I didnt call them the fake news media. I said to myself, I will not today in front of our great armed forces call them fake news," said Trump. "We know the real truth, but we won't say it today."

In an effort to fight the president's rhetoric, more than 300 papers around the country published editorials defending free press.

Roy Gutterman sat down with Spectrum News, a free speech expert at Syracuse University, to learn more on what these editorials represent.

"It's a collective statement from the independent press," Gutterman said. "And it is independent. Not every newspaper in the country has done this but 300 or more is a substantial number."

He says the president and the press normally spar a bit since the days of Washington and Jefferson, but the frequency of President Trump's attacks caught his eye.

"That really leads to a gap in trust, and it raises questions about how the rest of the public will start viewing the press, and it's a dangerous slippery slope."

Freedom of press is incredibly important to Gutterman and his colleagues at the Newhouse School at SU. How important? The first amendment is written in massive letters both inside and outside the building. 

"For a long time the United States has been a leader around the world for championing press rights and protecting our reporters, regardless of how you feel about the content."

That's something the president says he agrees with too. He responded to the newspapers via Twitter, saying the press in America is free, but claims reporters still push an agenda which leads to fake news.