Freedom of speech and the press was considered so important by the founders of our republic that it was enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution.

It’s worth remembering that this was during an era when the press was particularly partisan. Newspapers were owned by prominent politicians who used their publications as vehicles to disseminate their views and criticize their foes. The press often exercised the latter with little regard to truth.

With the decline of many American newspapers and the rise of alternative news platforms in this digital age,

I believe we have returned to those “wild west days” when opinion often replaced veracity.

Still our predecessors at the time of the American Revolution believed an unfettered press—even with its faults—was worth protecting.   That remains true today.  But news consumers are wise to attend much news and information with healthy skepticism.