History of the Freedom of the Press

Mitch Addison, 28

The freedom of the press is seen as one of the cornerstones of democracy. It is the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights and has lasted in centuries for some nations. How did freedom of the press get its start?

It all began on December 2, 1766 in Sweden, where the Swedish Parliament passed the first act that supported freedom of the press and information. It banned the government’s role as a censor in the press and made government activities publicly available to be published. This marked an important moment where people could spread written information without fear of the government stepping in to correct or change anything.

This would be seen again in the U.S. Bill of Rights, giving the press freedom to publish without government interference. When it comes to national security, things can become complicated. When it came to publishing the Pentagon Papers, a series of documents showing that the U.S. government knew intervening in Vietnam would have been much deadlier than they publicly stated, this was the case. The government attempted to prohibit their publication on the basis they would cause a threat to national security, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of publishing. This is an example where government secrets should be published. However, some secrets should be kept confidential, so enemies of the nation cannot harm them. This is the one issue with freedom of the press. When does it get too free? How far should the government let the newspapers reach? Of course, freedom of the press is not bad; in fact, it is important for any nation. However, as with other freedoms, there should be a line that cannot be crossed, so people can be protected.

Finally, I want to extend my thanks to many people. Here at the Ensider, everyone absolutely enjoys writing about what we love, and we want to thank you for reading all of our articles. It means a lot to us that you have read our articles and found interest in them. We also want to send a thank you to Mrs. Towle, who will unfortunately be leaving The Ensider in favor of working as the new English Department Chair at the High School. In her place, Mrs. Bahr will be taking over, and we are all very excited to see what new ideas she’ll be bringing to the table in the next year. For those interested in Mrs. Bahr’s future role in the Ensider, look here at our interview with her!