Freedom of the Press=Freedom of Individual Thought

Freedom of speech and freedom of the press get used as an excuse whenever we feel our rights threatened. Any censoring by the government and we whip out the First Amendment. We often forget why our forefathers made freedom of the press part of the first amendment. Censorship was actually well enforced before the First Amendment was passed. During the Revolutionary War, those who publicly supported the king were often silenced by revolutionary leaders. Of course when the country was formed and the Constitution was written, the founding fathers put an end to such practices, right? Actually, no. The government and the press have been battling since the First Amendment was signed and many journalists have been censored because of it. From 1830-1860 during the Ant-slavery movement, many southern states banned abolitionist literature and articles, and even arrested certain people for possessing anti-slavery material. Even during both World Wars, the government flooded media with pro-war messages, banning anti-war journalism, saying it was in the best interest of the American people during a time of war.

If our government ensures our freedom of speech, then why do they interfere during times of crisis? It’s simple really: they understand the power of the press. It has the ability to shine light on the truth, to change people’s opinions, and to even cause riots and rebellions. Many historical figures have known this as well and have restricted the press to gain power. Napoleon Bonaparte said it best: “I fear three newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets.” He was able to take over an entire country twice and invade other countries because he had so much support from the French people. Of course, he silenced anyone who spoke against him. Adolf Hitler did the same thing and took it a step further by using the press to his advantage. He silenced anyone who stood against him, but also spread propaganda throughout Germany during WWII which glorified his leadership. Hitler even discussed the importance of propaganda in his book, Mein Kampf, saying it was necessary to share the “truth” with the audience. Of course his propaganda did not share the entire truth with the people. If it had, Hitler may not have accomplished all that he had. Hitler and Napoleon gained their power from silencing the press.

So what is it about the press that is so threatening to dictators like Napoleon and Hitler? The most important thing the press does is revealing the truth to the public. It reveals the good and bad of a situation when the leaders only want the good revealed. With a free press, many opinions about a single subject are thrown to the audience every day. With so many options, people are able to chose what they believe. One guy says taxes are good and another guy says taxes are bad. A person hears both arguments and has to decide which one he thinks is true. When you get into a place where the press is not free and all propaganda is one sided, a place like Nazi Germany or Napoleon’s France, only one opinion is being fired at the public. Taxes are good. If that’s the only thing a person hears every day, he’s going to believe that is true. Without the press telling the whole story, human beings become like sheep following the shepherd and believing everything he says. Hitler and Napoleon used this to their advantage.

One could say that freedom of the press gives us the freedom to think for ourselves and form our own opinions. Every day we are bombarded with thousands of other people’s thoughts and feelings: T.V., books, newspapers, blogs, etc. With so many options, we have the ability to chose what to believe, and that makes us human beings, capable of thinking for ourselves instead of sheep blindly following the shepherd.