Editorial: Biden's call for unity sets America on a better path

Inauguration Day dawned with a mix of emotions for those who welcomed the presidency of Joseph R. Biden.

Relief. Hope. Pride. Optimism. And, in light of recent threats, fear.

In his inaugural address Wednesday, Biden touched on many of those feelings. He promised to serve all Americans, regardless of how they voted, and issued a call for unity while refusing to ignore those factors that stand in its way.

We hope those who did not welcome Biden's election found a shared vision in the collaboration he was espousing.

"I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days," he said. "I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never assured."

Victory is by no means assured.

But Biden made his desire for unity and inclusivity clear early on in his historic choice of Kamala Harris for vice president. Watching the first woman, the first African American and the first Asian American sworn in as vice president was a barrier-breaking moment - one to be embraced, regardless of party, with a sense of pride, progress and promise. "Don't tell me things can't change," Biden said as he reminded listeners of the struggles faced in the battles for civil rights and a woman's right to vote.

In turning to what has torn us apart in recent days, Biden Wednesday called on Americans to "reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured." He reminded Americans that each of us has a responsibility to defend the truth.

The recent attack on the Capitol - fueled by misinformation - underscores the importance of that mission. To that end, we must stress news literacy, urge tech giants to guard against disinformation, protect the U.S. from foreign influences and call out politicians of both parties who lie to embellish their records or tear down their opponents. And we in the media must do our part to seek out truth, to stem the spread of fake news and to protect against bias.

As Biden stressed, defending truth is vital to protecting our nation. It's also a key step in moving toward that ever-elusive goal of unity. We got fleeting glimpses of what that unity could look like at Wednesday's inauguration. Watching on television, we saw George Bush in the same frame as Barack Obama, Mike Pence alongside Kamala Harris.

The presence of powerful Republicans at the dawn of this new administration is significant. Pence, Bush, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Kevin McCarthy and others sent an important message to the nation, one that gives us hope that we can leave some of the divisiveness of the past four years behind.

"Together," Biden said Wednesday, "we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness."

We know it is naive to expect that the optimism of an hours-old administration will not be shaken by the obstacles. It will be all too easy to grow cynical. Perhaps, then, it is best to think of unity and the American story as a journey, one with different paths and heartbreaking detours. And as we start once more on that road, we draw inspiration not just from Biden, but from young poet Amanda Gorman:

"That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb if only we dare it, because being American is more than a pride we inherit - it's the past we step into and how we repair it."

Now, we begin to repair it.