A Free Press: It Is Worth Fighting For

I have been known to give America's Media ... or More specifically the press ... a bad time on a fairly regular basis because I think they deserve it. In My judgement they could do better. But despite all the warts we May find on America's free press, in no way do I want them controlled by government.

This came to Mind forcefully the other nite when one of our so-called "embedded reporters", who was standing on a Baghdad street at the time, was reading an Iraqi newspaper and its headline said : "Victory is Ours." It is hard for us to fathom, but in a
lot of countries in this world, the only things the citizens know are those things the government wants them to know ... and Iraq is one of those nations. Controlling the information going to the people has always been the first step dictators take in controlling the people themselves. And we are badly fooling ourselves if we think a free press exists in Most countries of the world, and especially in the Middle-East.

So, even though I think our American free press is too often biased and can be improved, I also think it is imperative that we not let government get in control. The first amendment is vital to our freedom, and the free flow of information is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Freedom of the press IS one of the things we fight for, and it IS worth it.

This is Gordon Sawyer, and may the wind always be at your back.