Limiting the press
By Editorial
It's unfortunate that the news media are not No. 1 on the trustworthy list among Americans. Perhaps it's not so surprising that in a new survey among high school students, 50 percent of those not involved in student media felt that the government should have control in approving stories.
Just what are we teaching our kids in school? It's easy to pass the problem off as, "oh, they're just high school students" who are naturally immature and naive. And while that's true to a certain degree, these survey results could point to a trend that's even more disturbing.
These days, many journalists, from TIME magazine to The New York Times, are facing jail sentencing for protecting sources. If the public accepts subpoenaing reporters for confidential notes, then who knows what the future of America will think, too.
Even more disturbing, one out of every four student journalists surveyed said that student newspapers shouldn't be allowed to publish controversial stories without the consent of school authorities -- the very individuals that should be defending the freedom of the press.
Print news outlets should see it as their duty to report all newsworthy stories -- whether tame or extremely controversial -- in an objective, fair manner. Furthermore, America's youth should realize the important role newspapers have in holding organizations, officials and citizens accountable for the actions they take.
Taking away any newspaper's constitutional right to report the news freely only trivializes the purpose journalists serve. Requiring government approval could potentially blind people from knowing the truth behind certain societal issues of controversial significance, whenever a biased entity can have control.
Denying full freedom of the press compromises the democratic backbone of our nation.
It's no secret that the public is skeptical of the media's validity. And though all newspapers may not always convey 100-percent objectivity, slapping limits on press freedom won't make the problem any better.