Most people lack the time and resources to investigate issues and stories that affect them and their communities. Armed with skills like research and critical thinking, the best journalists know what questions to ask , what leads to pursue, and how to fact-check. Fact-checking is a vital element of a free press. If the press is not able to fact-check safely and effectively, the truth remains buried. Many entities can benefit from the truth staying hidden, including governments.
The press is the bridge between the people and powerful entities. If the press is not free but instead beholden to power, it simply serves as an extension of that power. Without freedom of the press, journalists who try to tell the truth when it threatens the state are not protected by the law. This makes censorship and suppression inevitable. In the case of corruption and human rights violations , a free press is essential to exposing abuses of power. Informed voting is the third reason why freedom of the press is so important.
Democracies only thrive when voters are as informed as possible. Being informed ensures people understand the issues at hand and what policies and politicians best represent them. The press is the body that informs by analyzing information, encouraging discussion, and fact-checking. Ben Davis May 8, Is freedom of press important essay? What is the importance of freedom of press? What is press freedom and why is it important? What do you mean by freedom of press?
What is an example of freedom of the press? Is freedom the press? Which country has the most freedom of press? Who does freedom of the press apply to?
Whistleblowers face prosecution under the World War One-era Espionage Act for leaks to the press in the public interest.
The ACLU has played a central role in defending the freedom of the press, from our role in the landmark Pentagon Papers case to our defense of whistleblower Edward Snowden and our advocacy for a new media shield law.
When press freedom is harmed, it is much harder to hold our government accountable when it missteps or overreaches. At a local level, journalists were arrested at least 34 times in , according to Reporters Without Borders. Nine journalists were arrested for covering protests in St. Louis , the group reports, and a journalist in North Dakota was arrested for covering a Dakota Access pipeline protest.
Reporter Dan Heyman was jailed in West Virginia last year after asking then Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price a question about healthcare legislation the charge was willful disruption of state government processes. On a national level, the President has retweeted violent memes against CNN and railed against reporters and news outlets that criticize his administration, even stating that certain media outlets should lose their broadcasting licenses.
Newsprint is the second largest expense for small papers after human resources costs, according to the National Newspaper Association, and the White House is calling for tariffs of up to 32 percent on uncoated groundwood paper. That would be a major blow for an industry already suffering from layoffs and downsizing: From January to September , the number of newspaper jobs fell from , to ,, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
He changed his mind, however, after the presidential campaign of , when he endured the scrutiny of the press. Politicians from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton to Donald Trump have complained about the media, which means the press is doing its job.
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