Respect for free press underpins democracy

SOME American presidents are worth listening to about the media. Chief among them must be Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States of America. Jefferson had his fights with the American media: he once privately railed to friends about the ‘ordure’ which he felt they had printed. But despite this, his view on the importance of a free press remained steadfast throughout his life.

In 1786, Jefferson wrote to John Jay – soon to become America’s first Chief Justice – declaring: ‘Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor [can] that be limited without danger of losing it.’ Thirty-seven years later, he told the French republican Lafayette: ‘The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when it is permitted freely to be expressed.’

Other US presidents shared this opinion. Franklin D Roosevelt said: ‘Freedom of conscience of education of speech of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy – and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.’

Calvin Coolidge agreed: ‘Wherever despotism abounds, the sources of public information are the first to be brought under its control. Wherever the cause of liberty is making its way, one of its highest accomplishments is the guarantee of the freedom of the press.’

Teddy Roosevelt felt the same. ‘If there is one thing we ought to be careful about, it is in regard to interfering with the liberty of the press,’ he said. ‘I think it is a great deal better to err a little bit on the