“Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.”– Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the third President of the United States.– David Post, Washington Post, 2010[i]. In 1789, John Jay was appointed by President George Washington to be the country’s first chief justice of the Supreme Court.[ii]
In 1791, the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, was ratified. The First Amendment reads:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.”
President John Adams, the second President of the United States, had a different view of the press. He did not appreciate negative criticism. In 1798, President Adams signed into law, the Alien and Sedition Acts, which made it illegal to “write, print, utter, or publish … any false and malicious writings” against the president and other executive branch officials.– Ronald G. Shafer, “The thin-skinned president who made it illegal to criticize his office”, Washington Post, 2018[iii]
President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, in his final press conference said to the press:
“… But I have enjoyed working with all of you. That does not, of
course mean that I’ve enjoyed every story that you have filed …
You’re not supposed to be complimentary, but supposed to cast a
a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power and make sure that we
are accountable to the people who sent us here…”[iv]
A 2019 USA Today article noted that President Trump, the 45th President of the United States, had a difficult and, at times, contentious relationship with certain news agencies and reporters.[v]
Why is this important?
Why do we need to know this?
The American Civil Liberties Union noted that the freedom of the press is critical to a democracy in which the government is accountable to the people.[vi]
An April 2020 article by the Rand Corporation, a research organization that addresses issues of public policy, recognized that “A healthy democracy relies on information. It requires engaged citizens to arm themselves with facts and hold their government accountable.”[vii]
A May 2021 article from usatoday.com referred to the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan organization that studies and researches various topics, and its tracking of trust in the media. The Pew study concluded that less than half of Americans trust the news and 72% of US adults believe that news organizations do an insufficient job of revealing their funding sources.[viii]
Although some in government may find certain news articles objectionable and even slanted, a free press is of the utmost importance. By contrast, a March 7, 2022 NY Times article addressing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, noted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s increasing control over the Russian media and foreign broadcasts, in order to keep the Russian people ill-informed or even uninformed about the war in Ukraine.[ix]
Your political ideologies may be more aligned with one news agency as opposed to another.
It is the responsibility of citizens to seek information from, not only one source but different sources, whether digital or print, whether traditional media or social media, whether conservative or liberal, so that balanced and informed opinions may be reached. No matter what you believe about the press, our democracy is strengthened when its citizens are informed. You may not agree with aspects of the press, but we are a better country because of it.
It is a free press that separates our country, a republic, from a dictatorship.
Be Informed
Be Engaged
Be Involved
[i] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/03/01/trump-the-press-the-first-amendment-and-thomas-jefferson/
[ii] https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Jay
[iii] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/09/08/the-thin-skinned-president-who-made-it-illegal-to-criticize-his-office/
[iv] https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/18/remarks-president-final-press-conference
[v] https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/09/07/trump-2020-plan-new-risks-press-freedom-trust-in-media-column/2231149001/
[vi] https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/freedom-press
[vii] https://www.rand.org/blog/articles/2020/04/what-americans-think-of-the-news–and-what-that-means.html
[viii] https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/05/14/mainstream-media-ownership-america-needs-news-transparency/5077719001/
[ix] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/world/europe/russia-ukraine-putin-media.html