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Press freedom under attack

To the editor:

Thomas Jefferson said “Our liberty depends on freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

Some say national security is being used as an excuse not just to limit journalists, but to harass and intimidate them.

Let’s examine those thoughts in light of what’s happening today.

Is lambasting or savaging America a prelude to defending freedom of speech in a tone of poolhall mentality, to speak with irreconcilable opinionated conspiracies that might be happening anywhere near what Jefferson meant when he spoke those words, “Our liberty depends on freedom of the press?”

The travesty of a privilege guaranteed by the Constitution, freedom of speech has been disgraced by bravoed pundits posing as part-time journalists, switching to I-am-an-opinionator when exposed with no fact-finding reports.

The sacred trust put in journalists died with the radio and cable TV megastars mimicking the news instead of reporting it.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a shield law to protect journalists and their sources. How sad is that situation? The attention the media brought on itself by sensationalizing the news left the Senate committee in an quandary – its members can’t agree on the definition of a journalist.

Steve Kopa

Weirton

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