Freedom of the press

In the news we frequently hear attacks on journalists, or hear someone say, “The press is the enemy of the American people.” Such statements and attitudes conflict with the genius of our nation’s founders and the U.S. Constitution that includes the freedom of the press in the First Amendment. The founders of our nation envisioned that a healthy tension between the ideas of political leaders and the free media would lead to better government. This tension, which some say encourages public division, is actually a defense against tyrants, military dictators, or even presidents who crave more power than our Constitution allows in our three equal branches of government.

Founder and later President James Madison is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. In the creation of the Constitution, Madison and others debated our nation’s need of the separation of powers and a free press; the objective was to prevent the tyranny of former kings and dictators of the European nations from which they had descended. Thankfully, they created a document that prevents absolute power and allows the free press to inform the public of the actions of those that would abuse their power. Their rationale was that without the free press and frequent elections, tyranny would soon prevail in the new nation.

The founders saw press and speech freedom so important that it is in the very first amendment of the Constitution. So hopefully, our generation will always see this same importance and vigorously work to preserve the freedom of the press. JIM LANCASTER

Sheridan