Activity 2: Democracy and a Free Press
National and public debate determines the collective wisdom of the people. As democracy is founded on an informed and active citizenry, citizens have the right and responsibility to participate in public affairs. Effective participation requires knowledge and wisdom. Citizens acquired their knowledge through dialogue with other citizens, reading books, magazines and newspapers, and watching and listening to radio and television.
Since colonial times, freedom of speech and the press have been recognized as catalytic forces in the affairs of the citizens and their governmental representatives. Thomas Jefferson, the framer of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States, believed that: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them."
The twin principles of free speech and free press were so important to our nation's Founding Fathers, they enshrined them into the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which states that, "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." The purpose of the First Amendment is to enhance and secure the practice of democracy and was designed for the benefit of the general public. Freedoms of press and speech are ways of finding the truth, exercising our self-government, and satisfying self-expression. Media provides forums through which individuals and groups express their opinions. As governmental 'watchdogs' the press keeps citizens informed of governmental events and actions.
What precisely the First Amendment meant, and how it can be reconciled with other rights and freedoms has been a matter of dispute and discussion ever since. To some observers, the First Amendment imposes no obligation that the press should act with restraint. According to Benjamin C. Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post, freedom of the press "includes the freedom to be wrong, even to be irresponsible."
To other observers, freedom of the press is not absolute. It implies obligations and responsibilities, partly because it may conflict with other freedoms. According to Caspar Weinberger, U.S. Secretary of Defense during the 1980's, "the Founding Fathers did not proclaim freedom of the press and then resolutely stand aside. They expected government to put all constitutional rights as well as duties in a state of balance. Some [people] act as if they believe freedom of the press is the paramount freedom--so important that no other freedoms can exist without it. They seem to believe that any action required to produce a story is justified by the First Amendment. Unfortunately, such an attitude promotes the trampling of other, equally legitimate public interests--the national defense, an accused's right of a fair trial free from a jury influenced by news reports, the right of privacy and others."
Another concern of the writers of the Constitution was one of balancing power to prevent the growth of an authoritarian government. Within the national government they created three separate branches (the President, Congress and the Supreme Court), that were intended to serve as checks and balances. One extra-constitutional brake on the possible governmental abuse of power was the free press. Frequently called the "Fourth Branch of Government" the press was not simply observers or reporters of events.1 Over the past two hundred years the press, subsequently augmented with other mass media, have become an integral part of the political and governing process. The press and media have had an increasingly influential impact on public policy, governmental decisions and popular attitudes.
During the past fifty years, American journalism has undergone a revolution, conceptually, stylistically and technologically, evolving into what has become popularly known as the mass media. These changes have altered the way governmental institutions function. In a relatively brief interlude, traditional journalism--defined as a vehicle to inform, educate and entertain--has been vastly broadened. Television has emerged as a pervasive instrument in daily communications, and news is instantly relayed around the globe by space satellites. There is a prevailing sense that an event isn't of much consequence--unless the media are there to observe it, report it, and explain its significance. One needs to be sensitive to the contemporary role of the news media--for good or ill--as a marketplace of ideas and a channel for information.
But there has been tension between the press and government. Journalists are dependent on government sources for their work. Modern presidents have been compelled to be effective communicators. The power of the presidency in many ways rests in his power to persuade. The president exercises hidden power through mobilizing public opinion, defining national problems, setting priorities and offering visions for the future. Television has enhanced the president's ability to project views and mobilize public sentiment.
Student Questions
Why are free speech and free press important in a democratic system?
What are the differences and similarities among various print and electronic news media?
What is the relationship between the government and the news media?
What restrictions, if any, should there be on the press and media?
What is the relationship between public opinion and the press and media?
What is the relationship between public opinion and government?
1 The phrase "Fourth Branch" of government derived from the British term "Fourth Estate." Lord (Thomas) Macaulay, a British historian wrote: "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm. The early British Parliament had three estates of man: "Lords Spiritual," "Lords Temporal," and "Commons."
Return to Activity 2.
Go to the Contents page for International Conflict and the Media.
Go to the Bibliography.