Final Blog Post Jour 485

Media today is a very controversial subject because of truth. Truth is essential in not only the democratic society, but in journalism. In the democratic society, freedom of the press and information goes hand in hand with freedom of speech. Media demonstrating the truth is important because it’s news that’s reliable while “fake news” isn’t.

What separates America from other countries is our freedom. The Bill of Rights gave us freedom of speech which is essential in media. The bill has shaped investigative reporting because it protects the media from uncovering the truth especially when uncovering the truth involving higher officials.

In the article, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” by the Washington Post, it speaks about the truth being covered up by higher officials. Specifically, the article stemmed from the Watergate Scandal that was uncovered by Bob Woodward and the Washington Post.

This article shined it’s spotlight on the importance of the role of investigative reporting: uncovering the truth and holding government officials accountable for their actions.

In the article “Importance of a Free Press” by the Charles Koch Institute, it explained “freedom of the press is important because it plays a vital role in informing citizens about public affairs and monitoring the actions of government at all levels.”

The article explained the importance of freedom of press because when our leaders threaten journalists, they are threatening not only the First Amendment, but their most basic rights.

The article stated that “during the Constitutional Convention, Mason and other Anti-Federalists, including James Monroe and Patrick Henry, believed that the U.S. Constitution failed to place specific limits on the government’s power. That led to the eventual creation of the Bill of Rights and its ten amendments, written by James Madison.”

The Charles Koch Institute article stated how politicians have complained about the media which means the press is doing their job right. “Journalists are watchdogs — not cheerleaders. They ignite dialogue on essential issues. They share the truths that powerful people would rather conceal. They are the force that holds our leaders accountable for their actions.”

According to “Freedom of the Press is What Makes America Truly Great,” an article by the New York Post, “Americans owe their freedom of expression to the quasi-magical powers of words written more than two centuries ago. Combined with an independent judiciary, those words continue to provide robust protection for people who annoy the government.”

The article acknowledged the First Amendment being “the reason Trump’s recommendation that purveyors of fake news lose their broadcast licenses was repudiated by the man he chose to head the Federal Communications Commission.”

The FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, spoke in the article that under his leadership, the FCC will stand for First Amendment. “And under the law the FCC does not have the authority to revoke a license of a broadcast station based on the content of a particular newscast,” Pai declared.

The article also recognized “the First Amendment is also the reason Trump’s description of the fake news media as the enemy of the people, although poisonous to civil and honest debate, has not curtailed freedom of the press. To the contrary, it inspired a unanimous Senate resolution reaffirming the vital and indispensable role the free press serves and condemning efforts to systematically undermine the credibility of the press.”

Reading the article, it reminded me that freedom of the press and its information supports the First Amendment by freedom of speech but the media is held to a higher standard. Reporting facts is what the media should do and not being biased towards your own personal beliefs.

The Charles Koch Institute article recognized the First Amendment being one of the great statements in the history of human rights. As it highlighted “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.”

According to the article, “that means the government cannot punish you for your views, thoughts, or words, even if they’re unpopular save for very narrow limits. But we the people can say what we think — and the press can perform its essential role: To agitate, investigate, and scrutinize our leaders and institutions. That freedom is the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship.”

Freedom of press and its information all ties into free society today because reporters are facing hostile situations where their rights are being taken away.

According to Charles Koch Institute article, “Journalists and freelance writers have been forced to hand over cell phones and other devices to border agents for inspection when exiting or entering the United States, the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists reports. Border agents have also interrogated them about everything from private conversations to their social media posts.”

Freedom of press and freedom of information is important in society because it exercises the rights of not only journalists, but us as Americans. Both free flow of information and free press go hand in hand because having accurate information will support free press.

The circulted information keeps the flow. To help keep information circulated and keep its flow in investigative reporting is the “Investigative Handbook.” It has steps in which to take for investigative reporting.

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