Liberty Depends on the Press
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Liberty Depends on the Press
We believe in freedom of speech, but we also believe in the freedom of the press. Like many media outlets across America, Scott County News has always taken our role seriously in educating and informing our readers, endlessly striving to report happenings, not just in our hometown – which remains our priority – but across the region. There are times when news can have no geographic boundaries, nor should it. Last week alone, we reported many newsworthy happenings: locally, regionally, and nationally. The feedback we receive from our readers indicates your appreciation of those efforts, and we will continue to honor our word and our responsibility to you – our readers.
In recent weeks, however, a troubling national trend emerged in Scott County. Despite recent attempts to silence the media, via social media, Scott County News will not be bullied into silence. We will continue to report, engage, enlighten, and empower our subscribers all across the country, just as we have for over a century.
While healthy criticism is essential in a democracy, that road can run two ways. The media has often been called the fourth estate for good reason, holding those in power accountable. That gangs of citizens have chosen to use social media to voice frustrations and attempt to thwart reporting can quickly escalate into mobbing – an instance when a group of people are empowered in numbers – aiming to harass and intimidate rather than disagree (sometimes, without the facts), simply because they don’t like a story or are, at times, uncomfortable with its truths, often calling sources – and journalists themselves – biased, dishonest, or self-serving.
Such asinine notions go beyond free expression and become a direct assault on the freedom of the press. When journalists are bullied into silence or discouraged from reporting on controversial topics, the public – our readers – loses access to information. Unfortunately, social media has only magnified this problem, giving small but vocal groups – who, oftentimes, have not even read SCN stories – the ability to amplify hostility and drown out discussion. On occasion, this can even become a detriment to public health and safety. When this happens, democracy itself is weakened. It was Thomas Jefferson, after all, who said, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press.” We concur at SCN. That freedom is not about agreeing with every article we write, even when topics are uncomfortable, it’s about protecting the right of the media to investigate, report, and publish without fear of intimidation. It’s this simple: respectful disagreement strengthens democracy; bullying undermines it. Ultimately, efforts to intimidate Scott County News erodes one of the cornerstones of democracy – a free and independent press – and the attempts to do so only strengthens our resolve that we are doing what is right, just as we have for over a century.