Early journalism has shaped our world in a way that we can’t even
begin to understand. In the 1690s, someone tried to publish the first American
newspaper. This person was arrested for trying to show his opinion! Had this
brave individual not taken the first steps towards modern journalism, we might
not have the luxuries of free press that we do today.
If the freedom of the press was not guaranteed, I can’t even imagine where we would be right
now. We would have no way to voice our opinions about certain topics. We would
have no way to inform the public of what’s going on with our country. Without
the freedom of the press, people could go to jail or be killed because they
want to spread their opinion to the world.
“In America the President reigns
for four years, and Journalism governs for ever and ever."
—Oscar Wilde
America
has come so far as a nation when it comes to free speech. When the Bill of
Rights was written, journalism became a protected profession. Journalists are
free to speak their minds, even if it’s something that other people don’t
really like to hear. The New York Times newspaper was founded in 1851, 75 years
after the U.S. gained its independence. That newspaper is still a major source
of news today. If we hadn’t ever gained the right to free speech, the New York
Times would’ve never been founded. Also, radio and television might have been
invented a little later than they were. If we didn’t have a need to invent some
way to spread news quicker, the radio and television might have been invented
50 years later than they were.
