FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PRESS FREE

That freedom is the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship. But we the people can say what we think-and the press can perform its essential role: To agitate, investigate, and scrutinize our leaders and institutions.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PRESS FREE

It declares: “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 to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” That means the government cannot punish you for your views, thoughts, or words, even if they’re unpopular save for very narrow limits. The First Amendment is one of the great statements in the history of human rights. What does the First Amendment say about freedom of the press? That led to the eventual creation of the Bill of Rights and its ten amendments, written by James Madison. Constitution failed to place specific limits on the government’s power. During the Constitutional Convention, Mason and other Anti-Federalists, including James Monroe and Patrick Henry, believed that the U.S. The Bill of Rights was modeled after the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason in 1776. To quote John Adams: “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of the state.” Freedom will be “a short-lived possession” unless the people are informed, Thomas Jefferson once said. By sharing knowledge and sparking debate, a free press invigorates and educates the nation’s citizens. “Republics and limited monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates,” Benjamin Franklin declared. News organizations expose corruption and cover-ups, deceptions and deceits, illegal actions and unethical behavior-and they hold our leaders and our institutions accountable, whether it’s a rural county in Kentucky or the state government in Illinois. But our revolutionary forefathers knew that when the press examines the actions of government, the nation benefits.

George Washington once referred testily to the “infamous scribblers” who covered his administration. Media-bashing is as old as the nation itself. Here are four fundamental facts we should all remember about freedom of the press: To protect our rights, we must understand our rights. While the media may be unpopular -43 percent of Americans say the media supports democracy “very poorly” or “poorly,” a Knight Foundation/Gallup report found - this role should not be forgotten. Despite the United States’ historic role as a global champion of free speech, the nation often receives less-than-stellar marks when it comes to protecting the press (the United States is ranked only 45th out of 180 countries in a report on media freedom).įreedom of the press is important because it plays a vital role in informing citizens about public affairs and monitoring the actions of government at all levels.

Constitution, but no right is truly guaranteed.

Freedom of speech and press