Ink Spo ts
Last Saturday, May 3, was World Press Freedom Day, a day to emphasize the importance of freedom of the press and to remember journalists who have lost their lives while on the job, and those that are imprisoned for reporting the news.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reports on its website (cpj.org) that 103 journalists were killed worldwide in 2024. Sixty-seven are missing and 361 reporters and editors are in prison. You may have read or seen coverage of Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who was imprisoned in Russia for 16 months before his release last August. Jason Rezaian, Tehran bureau chief for the Washington Post, was held by Iran for almost a year and a half before his release in early 2016. At least 124 journalists and media workers died in Gaza in 2024, according to CPJ. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 13 journalists have been killed by Russian forces.
Russia’s Putin, Hungary’s Victor Orban, Turkey’s Erdogan, and the Iranian regime have a history of suppressing critical reporting. Whether by forced closure of newspapers and websites, imprisonment of reporters, or in the case of Putin, suspicious deaths by poison or falls, these autocrats maintain their grip on power and public opinion by denying their citizens the right to know what’s happening in their communities, nation and government.
The press is, of course, specifically mentioned in the Constitution. The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The Founders were well aware of the importance of a free press to a healthy democracy. John Adams said, “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of the state.” Thomas Jefferson stated, “Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
Specifically, a free press provides accountability in the form of reporting and investigations of government actions. It reports on wrongdoing and holds public officials accountable for their actions. A free press allows citizens to make informed decisions, by the provision of accurate and diverse information about politics, policy and other issues. It provides a space for public debate, vital to a democracy. Good journalism, free and unfettered, encourages civic participation – voting and running for public office. It also can help people better understand complex issues.
All of this would seem to apply to journalism with a capital “J” – not our little Rockbridge County. But it’s as important here as anywhere. We have local newspapers, local radio and local digital news sources, all speaking with a variety of voices. There are, though, counties around the country with no local newspaper or radio station, and little other than Facebook posts for local news.
America celebrates its 250th birthday next year as the oldest surviving democracy in the world today. I’m certain that one reason is our tradition of robust national and local journalism. But there are concerns. Local newspapers and radios are under siege because of failing business models. Recent incidents like a police raid on a local newspaper in Kansas a few years ago, and a three-year battle over a Mississippi judge’s order that a local newspaper take down an editorial critical of local government are troubling. Two U.S. Supreme Court justices have even suggested reopening the libel protections afforded the press in the 1964 Sullivan case.
For democratic government to survive to the nation’s next major anniversary in 50 years, it is essential that the press in all forms, print, broadcast and digital, continue to play its traditional role as watchdog and trusted information source. The press is not the “enemy of the people,” it is the people’s voice.
