The Press is to Serve the Governed, Not the Governors

“In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy.

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.

“The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government.

“The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.”

– Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, regarding New York Times Co. v United States, 1971