How free is the American Press?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
According to the categories below from the map above, what is the current level of press freedom in the United States?
[85 - 100 points] good (green)
[70 - 85 points[ satisfactory (yellow)
[55 - 70 points[ problematic (light orange)
[40 - 55 points[ difficult (dark orange)
[0 - 40 points[ very serious (dark red)
Out of the 180 countries, the country with the highest level of press freedom (here’s how the rankings work) is currently #1 Norway with a score of (92.3 out of 100 points). #180 Eritrea has the worst press freedom with a score of (11.32 out of 100 points). What press freedom rank do you think the US has and what is their total score out of 100 possible points?
The following countries have more press freedom than the US: Sierra Leon, Liberia, Romania, Cabo Verde, Montenegro, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Ghana, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Moldova, Armenia, Namibia, South Africa, Jamaica, Taiwan (the list goes on). America’s freedom of the press score has fallen dramatically in the past 5 years. How does America’s press freedom score make you feel?
The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment protects our freedom of speech from being taken away by the government but not by corporations or individuals. Explain how a country with such clearly written constitutional protections of civil liberties (freedom) has such a low (“problematic”) global press rights ranking?
During his opening monologue on his late night talk show on Disney/ABC’s Monday, September 15, Mr. Kimmel addressed the killing of Charlie Kirk by saying: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” Two days later, on September 17, Disney/ABC suspended Kimmel and his show for his comments. Do you think Disney/ABC did the right thing in cancelling Kimmel and his show?
Brendan Carr is the head of the Federal Communications Commission. Mr. Carr’s power lies with the licenses that the F.C.C. doles out to radio and TV stations to broadcast over public airwaves. Mr. Carr has argued that he can withhold licenses that aren’t being used in the public’s interest. In a podcast interview on Wednesday, Mr. Carr described Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks from two days before as part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people” about the beliefs of Mr. Kirk’s killer. He said the F.C.C. was “going to have remedies that we can look at.” “Frankly, when you see stuff like this — I mean, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Mr. Carr told the podcast host, Benny Johnson. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the F.C.C. ahead.” Later that day Disney/ABC pulled the plug on Kimmel’s show. How do you think the FCC threat to take away ABC’s broadcast license impacted their decision to unplug the Jimmy Kimmel show?
President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, September 18 that “97%” of some network coverage was negative toward him. “They give me only bad publicity or press,” Trump said. “They’re getting a license, I think maybe their license should be taken away. That same day, Brendan Carr, head of the FCC said, "There is more to come…I don't think this is the last shoe to drop.” Do you think that networks should lose their licenses for having comedians say thing that are critical of the president? Does this amount to censorship? Do you think other late night hosts like Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, and Jon Stewart will also have their shows canceled?
The First Amendment stops the government from abridging speech but it does not constrain ABC, which is a private entity. ABC can choose what it airs or doesn’t, but in the 1963 case Bantam Books v. Sullivan the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution’s protection of free expression also prohibits the government from leveraging its power over private parties - such as ABC - to censor speech. The Supreme Court reaffirmed the decision last year in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo (2024). With the recent government pressure on Disney/ABC for the cancellation of comedian/late night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, who have repeatedly criticized the Trump administration, Do you think Jimmy Kimmel has had his freedom of speech abridged and violated?
Mario Guevara was arrested by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office on June 14, 2025 while livestreaming a protest against immigration raids in the state of Georgia. He was taken into custody and charged with three misdemeanors: unlawful assembly, obstruction, and being a pedestrian on the roadway. Improper arrests of journalists covering protests are unfortunately common in the United States, but the journalist in question is almost always quickly released. On June 16, a judge ordered Guevara be released on bond, but instead of releasing him, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office transferred him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who have claimed — without providing public evidence — that Guevara is in the country illegally. His lawyers dispute this. All criminal charges against the journalist have been dismissed since July 10, yet he remains in detention. How would you know you were in a country without freedom of the press?
The U.S. has the 57th most free press in the world. How do you think Thomas “I wrote the Declaration of Independence” Jefferson would feel about our nation’s current press freedom ranking? Pro tip - Thomas Jefferson wrote the following:
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Thomas Jefferson
“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Thomas Jefferson
“No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is not free no one ever will.” Thomas Jefferson
“Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.” Thomas Jefferson
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Support organizations that support freedom of the press like your rights depend on it.
Amnesty International
A worldwide campaigning movement that works to promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. In particular, Amnesty International campaigns to free all prisoners of conscience.Article 19
Named after Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the organization works worldwide to combat censorship by promoting freedom of expression and access to official information.Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University
A network of faculty, students, fellows, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and virtual architects working to identify and engage with the challenges and opportunities of cyberspace.Center for Democracy and Technology
A non-profit public interest organization working to enhance free expression and privacy in communications technologies by finding practical and innovative solutions to public policy challenges while protecting civil liberties.Committee to Protect Journalists
A non-profit organization founded to promote press freedom worldwide by defending the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.Electronic Frontier Foundation
A non-profit, non-partisan organization working in the public interest to protect fundamental civil liberties, including privacy and freedom of expression in the arena of computers and the Internet.Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world supporting victims and activists, investigating and exposing violations, holding abusers accountable and challenging governments to respect international human rights law.International PEN
A worldwide non-governmental association of writers, promoting co-operation among writers everywhere, regardless of their political or other views, fighting for freedom of expression and defending vigorously writers suffering from oppressive regimes.Reporters without Borders
Defending press freedom and the right to be informed, RSF is an organization officially recognized as serving the public interest.
Get Creative
Press Freedom is a bedrock principle of American government. The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” One of my students rewrote the First Amendment from the more current perspective: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, unless it feels like it.” How would you describe the current state of freedom in America?
Learning Extension
Read the most recent 2024 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.
