On Jefferson and Lippman

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." -- Thomas Jefferson



I believe that when Jefferson said this it was absolutely true for the time. In the 18th century the only way to be informed was in traditional papers, pamphlets, and story telling; any restriction would have seriously harmed the fledgling democracy. It was much harder for the constituents to know when they were being lied to or distracted for some purpose. When press is restricted citizens have to make uniformed decisions about who and what to support. In today's world we are just as reliant on a free press. When restrictions are imposed in some form or another it may be easier for one to go around traditional media to find unrestricted access.
The most dangerous form of restriction we have in the states is not what the government is doing but what corporations are doing behind the scenes. Our elections are fought in advertising today and after the Citizens United court ruling it is easier than ever for a corporation to sponsor a favorable official. When money dominates press it becomes restrictive to those without it. The laws created are to benefit those who paid for them and the people lack accurate representation. When the news is influenced by those who are not journalists the most important information can be lost. But I do believe there are ways to get around restrictions in our information rich communities.

"There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil." -- Walter Lippmann

I really like this quote, it demonstrates many of the fundamental principles of Journalism. As watchdogs and truth tellers journalists will find this applicable at any point in history or the future. I am reminded instantly of the former Mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner. "Shaming the devil" is exactly what happened when dozens of women reported on his despicable behavior and the press relentlessly covered the snowballing controversy (the coverage on Comedy Central was particularly entertaining). When the people of San Diego discovered the devilish behavior of their leader they were able to remove him. This has renewed a debate all over the country about the type of character we want our elected officials to have. Journalists are often successful at exposing the fraud of those who would take advantage of the people and work to improve our democracy.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/02/mayor-san-diego-honor/

"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." -- Thomas Jefferson

I suppose Jefferson meant that a country alive with a healthy and robust tradition in journalism may be capable of ruling itself. I love this idea in principle and we may live to see a day when this is possible. If a country has reached a certain standard in health, nutrition, wealth, education, and employment it may be possible to govern with the guidance of the people and media regulated debate. Through discussion and compromise a country certainly could govern itself with the information provided by unbiased fact checkers. However, we have yet to see the day when this is possible. Not only is there too much global turmoil to develop strong trust between citizens and journalists, the question of bias is constantly raised. We lack impartial journalists in many news organizations. I would love to use the power of journalism to live in an ungoverned land of the free and morally knowledgeable people. Maybe in another 200 years!