01.02 Evolution of American Journalism

          Americans have a desire to be informed. We want to know what's happening, how and why it's happening and when it's happening. This is where the press comes in. By having newspapers, radio shows, TV shows and more, we know what's going on. 

          The Constitution protects journalism; it's not going anywhere. But imagine where we would be without it. What would happen if freedom of the press did not exist? The Founding Fathers made it clear that they thought it was important for the press to keep an eye on the government, giving it freedom to report whatever it wanted. But what if there were restrictions on what journalists could and could not report? Things would be happening in our country and around the world and we wouldn't know anything about it. Think about it. We have friends and relatives involved in wars all over the world. Where would we be if we didn't know what was happening to them? It is because of the press that we know which people are running for president every four years. And newspapers and news shows on television and the radio tell us the news on local levels: about the happenings, legal and otherwise, in our own town. 

          Journalism has been around a long time. The first newspaper, Publick Occurrences, was published in 1690, though that particular printing culminated in the publisher's arrest. However, by the early 1800s, newspapers and magazines were widely read. For over 200 years, we've been able to gain access to some sort of news publication. We've grown used to the idea of unlimited information right there at our fingertips. We would be living with blindfolds over our eyes without journalism being there to enlighten us.          
          When the first newspapers, such as Publick Occurrences, were being printed, people were afraid to say what they thought about the government. They were afraid that they, too would be arrested for speaking their minds. There are still many countries today that prevent their people from saying what’s on their minds. We are fortunate to live in a country where we have freedom of speech and are able to express ourselves. By making our opinions known, we as citizens are heard and acknowledged and have a say in how our country is run.          

References

School, Florida Virtual (2010) FLVS. Retrieved June 1, 2013,  from: http://learn.flvs.net/educator/student/frame.cgijwelsh15*mhead12*mpos=1&spos=0&option=hidemenu&slt=FV5byLODAxjqo*3493*http://learn.flvs.net/webdav/educator_journalism1_v11/index.htm