A Free Press Challenged When Needed Most

“Wide differences of opinion in matters of religious, political, and social belief must exist if conscience and intellect alike are not to be stunted, if there is to be room for healthy growth.”
President Theodore Roosevelt

“A large majority of Americans see the freedom of the press as highly important to the well-being of society,” Kirsten Eddy of the Pew Research Center writes. “But many express concerns about potential restrictions on press freedoms in the United States – and say that political and financial interests already have a lot of influence on news organizations.”
Pew conducted its survey ahead of World Press Freedom Day May 3.
Just under 75% of American adults told Pew that our First Amendment’s guarantee for freedom of the press “is extremely or very important to the well-being of society.” A vibrant press was essential to ensuring an informed electorate, the nation’s founders believed.
It is worrisome that just over one-quarter of those surveyed said freedom of the press is only somewhat important to the nation’s well-being (18%) or of no importance (6%.) We wonder what these people believe replaces an independent press in holding those in power accountable.
We can see where some of this lack of faith comes from. It is focused on the extreme and angry divisions found on the internet. It is found in the television “news” programs that are overtly partisan in their programming.  These news programs have found it extremely lucrative to pander to the political persuasions of their viewers, which at times requires buying into and promoting the same conspiracy theories political leaders pedal to drive Americans into extreme corners.
Pew’s survey did find that White and Asian Americans had the strongest beliefs in the importance of a free press – 78% each. However, only 60% of the country’s Black population found it important, and just 61% of the Hispanic population. The degree to which you believe a free press is fundamental to the country’s democracy is tempered by how it has represented your interests and the voice it provides for addressing your problems.
It’s the strength of a person’s belief in the importance of a free press that is vital to preventing laws that would restrict or limit a free press.
Pew’s survey found that while a solid 79% of American adults “believe the media are at least somewhat free to report the news in the country,” only 33% said they were “completely free to do so.” One-fifth of those surveyed say the press is restricted in what it can or will report.
Why so much doubt about the free press being free to report and editorialize?
Much of the doubt is founded on the reality that shareholders and CEOs at news organizations are often more interested in revenues than being dedicated to rigorous news programming (84%.) They also believe they pander to the wants of their political base (83%.)
At the local level, the financial insecurity newspapers face today causes some to hedge their editorial comments and coverage of issues.
There is a quote attributed to the late publisher of The Washington Post that shows how dramatically times have changed since the internet siphoned off billions of dollars of revenue from the press into the hands of a few multi-billionaires.
Katharine Graham was approached by her chief financial officer and told The Post had lost $7 million since it started its coverage of the Watergate Hotel break-in by operatives linked to the Republican National Committee and the re-election efforts of then President Richard Nixon. Her reported response to the loss was, “Well, it’s a good thing we can afford it.”
Few, if any, publishers could make that statement today. A free press’s courage has been weakened by its precarious financial reality today.
Depressingly, just 6% of Americans say the press is not influenced by financial interests, and only 8% say they are immune from political persuasion, according to Pew.
As belief in the sanctity of the First Amendment’s guarantee of a free press slips, outright animosity increases, and abuses of those rights increase. A police raid on the Marion Kansas Record last year, the seizure of reporter records in Florida, and the increasing number of fights journalists must engage in to access public information are signs of the government’s growing sense of power over the press.
While those of us in the press are well aware of the dangers of a weakened First Amendment regarding freedom of the press, only 41% of Americans find it a serious concern.
Vigorous reporting by the press is meant to help citizens find common ground through exposure to a wide variety of ideas and beliefs. It is the foundation of a representative democracy. Through the reporting of a healthy press, we learn the depth of the problems we face in making society more accepting and inclusive.
Increasingly, misinformation is being taken seriously by citizens. They take it in if it fits their preconceived prejudices, no matter how outlandish. It is the role of a free press to shine a light on falsehood.
“About half of U.S. adults (51%) say that the publication of false information should always be prevented, even if it means press freedom could be limited. Meanwhile, 46% of Americans say press freedom should always be protected, even if it means false information could be published,” the Pew survey found.
There is a difference between false information and opinion. Blatantly false information that could cause physical harm or prevent proven and necessary public health initiatives we don’t print. False information should be pointed out when someone states it for a news story.
It’s the role of a free press to educate the public so it can make informed choices. This role is as important today as it was at the nation’s founding.