Write an essay on Freedom of the press

 

Freedom of the press

On the dawn of September 11th, 2001, America was forever changed in many ways. The attacks that day shocked and broke the country’s already shattered psyche. An attack on a nation's capital on its soil resulted in hundreds of deaths and injured Americans. The impact on those affected by the attacks helped spark the mentality that characterized one of the most thought-provoking debates in American history. It seems today, with politics making a comeback and the loss of partisan difference, Americans are taking their differences a little too far. It is hard to avoid a divisive trend if a society is slowly lurching to a new and differing point. America’s battle against this new trend of hyper-violence and identity politics has been engrained by various factors. When we begin the debate over the fate of our republic I cannot imagine how difficult it is to get us started back in our good old ways. This paper will analyze the basic goals of media freedom in America and discuss the importance of freedom of the press.

At the center of the debate are two major races: freedom of religion and freedom of speech. These contests seem to be so different that it is easy to find good and bad arguments for each. However, both of these groups are quite similar when looking at the legislative decisions taken by our politicians. Politicians, as the legislation suggests, are supposed to represent the interests of all of us. When is the last time you noticed a government body that actually represented the needs of its citizens instead of using them as props?

However, with various conflicts of interest and public health at the center of both America’s political attitudes and action, it has become apparent that anything else than political issues will not be tolerated. Even the most benign of groups or constituencies have had to be pushed to the margins. Politics will put its paws where its mouth is and enact a policy or an action that will affect you personally and in a detrimental way. Unfortunately, where there is political power, that power will be used. The easiest way to work out what is good for one group of people is to protect their interests, no matter what it takes. It is hard to avoid such a policy shift as our current trend of hyper-violence is becoming normal and easy for people to take it as a statement of their moral authority.

Over the course of the last few years, the election process has taken place in a way that smacks corruption and backroom deals. It is common knowledge that elections have been stolen and corrupted in many parts of the country. Therefore, by manipulating the vote, politicians are able to manipulate the electorate into different, and sometimes negative, opinions. An election system that can be manipulated will always lead to misinformation and discord. A corrupted voting system means that elections will be rigged. If people take advantage of that, the chaos of the 2017 political election will be part of what caused an insurrection in the United States. We need to think very seriously and critically about what we are doing in order to have healthy elections, and even if we can do so, we need to be responsible for how those elections will be interpreted.

The current madness that threatens the basic tenets of the nation’s democracy is not the result of conspiracy theorists or even news networks—it is what too much power brings. Every day I heard on the news disturbing reports about the unrest surrounding the election. Each day I was at that news outlet reporting an untold number of armed protests that have taken place throughout the country. It seems very true that too much power can be a very dangerous thing, and the void of democracy in America is its own worst enemy.

The ability to be politically engaged and educated with the people that matter to you is a very important asset. Unless we are able to understand and value the importance of our freedoms as citizens and individuals, it is easy to find ourselves plunged into the abyss of a knee-jerk reaction.

During times of political turmoil, it is easy to forget that this country has faced many forms of institutional crises. Freedom of the press isn’t just the expression of America’s shared belief that all individuals should be treated equally. Freedom of the press is in itself a pivotal part of democracy and freedoms that we benefit from as Americans.

Staying on track with what is good for society is a very central and profound responsibility of all of us. We need to actively put in the work, not just to understand, but to also honor and protect the very right and freedom that we have.