Freedom of the Press
Critical Analysis
Based on the data from the chart above, how free is the press in the U.S.A.?
The U.S. has the forty fifth most free press in the world. How do you feel about that ranking?
Imagine that American press freedom were equal to a very poorly ranked country like Uzbekistan (number 156-yikes). Describe how America would be different.
What does the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights specifically say about freedom of the press?
Who gets to interpret the meaning of the words of the First Amendment?
How would you know you were in a country without freedom of the press?
Besides press freedom, what other things do countries with strong freedom of the press have in common?
The U.S. has the forty fifth 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 made the following quotes:
“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
In a recent poll, over half of Americans said that the US has, "too much press freedom." Do you think we Americans have too much press freedom?
How has social media impacted the relationship between the press and the government and the overall level of freedom of the American press?
Visual Extension
Learning Extension
Read the most recent and slightly naughty 2022 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.
Action Extension
Support organizations that support freedom of the press
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.