Vernal Express | 1977-10-13 | Page 11 | Freedom of the Press is Freedom of Individual Speech

Freedom Of Tile The Press Is Freedom Of Individual Speech by George E E. E Reedy Nieman Professor of or Journalism MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY Somewhere engraved on tablets of bronze and placed where all Ameri Americans ns can n see it every every ev ev- ery cry day should be the simple statement that freedom of the press and freedom of in individual individual individual in- in speech are one and the same Neither can be curtailed without doing damage to each other The Founding Fathers who wrote our Constitution Constitution Con Con- were well aware re of this truism They guaranteed hot both freedoms not only in the same amendment but hut in the te same clause oj of that tat amendment Their words which are often onen cited but all ail too loo rarely read were that Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press They threw in no qualifications lions whatsoever Free speech mu must t be free entirely or it docs does not ex exi exist exit ex- ex i it l at all There is a widespread impression that the first amendment gives a special privilege to newspapers and television stations Nothing could be farther from the truth The privileges of the press are the privileges of all the people and ami the first step towards suppressing my liberty and your liberty will be taken laken the day someone convinces Ameri Americans ns that thal it is allright all allright allright right to lo clamp down on journalism If they do they will be clamping down on themselves and unfortunately by the time they discover what has happened it il will be too loo late lale Freedom of the press is not a luxury it is central to freedom of speech and this means to the American way of life