A Free Press for a Free People

As Thomas Jefferson noted, "were it go away to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the last mentioned" (Demac 50). The question then becomes why is a loose insistency so important? What would lead Thomas Jefferson to place its richness above that of the government?

There are two main reasons for its importance. First and foremost, a emancipate press ensures that the citizens of a bucolic have the information that they need in order to feed responsible choices about their future instead of relying on uncomplete or in perfect information (CDG 5). This is especially important, because information is force: "bureaucrats try to bidding information as part of their control over subordinates and clients. Corporations try to control information through mint secrets and patents. Militaries try to control information using the rationale of 'national security'" (Martin, 9). The bountiful press is crucial in order to counterweigh the tendency of mess in authority positions to control the release of information. For this reason, the press moldiness be rigorous in its pursuit of information.

Secondly, a free press serves an important oversight function in ensuring that pick out officials c

These two components, the provision of accurate information in order to allow citizens to make sweet decisions, and the oversight of government officials and institutions, are the two central responsibilities of the free press. They are the reason that within the join States the press has been considered the " 4th Estate" of government, along with the Judiciary, the Congress, and the Executive branch.

In the United States, the independence of the press is enshrined within the Constitution precisely because the Founding Fathers tacit that without access to information the citizenry is too easily light-emitting diode astray by corrupt rulers.

United States Constitution. First Amendment. gettable at [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment01/]

arry out the wishes of the populace that elect them and that government representatives uphold their responsibility to keep the best interests of their stakeholders in mind (CDG 5). In essence, the press is a floodlight that moldiness be aimed at the deep recesses and shadows of the government. It must constantly regard that public officials explain to the public why their actions are necessary. It must remind elective officials that their ultimate responsibility is to the public that elected them and not to the special interests that paid for their campaigns.

Center for Democracy and organization (CDG). The Role of the Media in Democracy: A Strategic Approach. United States Agency for International Development. 1999.

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