Our View: The freedom of the press is crucial

Last Saturday, May 3, was World Press Freedom Day, a day proclaimed by the United Nations in 1993.

“May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom,” the UN explains. “It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.”

In the United States, freedom of the press is guaranteed in the first amendment to the constitution. It has been seen as a necessary right since the founding of our country, and many leaders throughout our nation’s history have reiterated the fact that a free press is fundamental to a free nation and a properly functioning democracy.

Thomas Jefferson famously said: “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

The freedom of the press is critical because the press as an institution serves as a watchdog to inform people of what’s happening, hold governments accountable, call out wrongs, share information and ideas, and give people a voice.

We have seen countless examples throughout history, in our own country and in many others, of both the good that can be done when the press is free to expose the truth and the harm that can be done when the press is limited or controlled. Journalists have helped spur societal reform and create lasting positive changes. But news sources censored by governments have become propaganda machines that have pushed agendas, twisted or lied about the truth, and covered up atrocities.

As with any freedom, the freedom of the press means that there will be those who abuse that freedom. The concerns about fake news in recent years prove this, and the internet has made things more complicated by giving people the ability to post what they like and call it “news.” As we’ve reiterated in the past, fact checking is important.

Unreliable news sources aside, when it comes to the press itself, there will always be a wide variety of viewpoints, biases, and opinions. In general, that is a good thing, and an important thing.

As Albert Camus put it: “A free press can, of course, be both good and bad, but, most certainly, without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad.”

We all struggle with confirmation bias, and generally end up listening to the news sources that we trust. But when people want to censor and get rid of what they consider to be “fake news,” they usually end up only promoting the news they want to hear. When the government is the one doing this, they promote the news that reports what they want them to report. If government officials put limitations on certain news outlets and not others, that’s a red flag. And if journalists are being targeted, intimidated, or attacked, that’s an even bigger red flag.

The freedom of the press is crucial, from a national level to a local level, and deserves to be both celebrated and protected.