Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the Press is one of our freedoms that is closely related to the Freedom of Speech, like many others. But, it allows us to get information another way, by media. In today's society, common ways to get information are magazines, radio, television, and the internet, but the only reason we can get biased and unbiased information like this is because the government won't interfere, due to Freedom of the Press. Freedom of the Press is defined as "the right to produce newspapers, magazines, and other printed material without governmental restriction and subject only to laws of libel, obscenity, sedition, etc."

Prior Restraint is what other nations use to censor information before it is published. The Supreme Court has issued that they may censor information if it is directly a matter of national security. In 1931, an "acid-tongued" editor of a Minneapolis paper wrote that local officials were "gangsters" and "grafters." The newspaper was halted for a time until matters could be resolved in the Court. A four out of five vote took place, ending up that it was unconstitutional to halt them because it involved prior restraint. The Supreme Court uses the ruling in this case to define their view on prior restraint, they stress that press is free of government censorship.

Other rules that have caused controversy are Gag Orders, Shield Laws, and Equal Time Doctrine.

Gag Orders are restrictions on posting certain types or information pending a court case. In 1976, a man killed six members of a family, the judge said that the material of the case was to sensitive to be release prior to the case, so he placed a gag order on the local press. The gag order was challenged and later ruled that it was prior restraint and was unconstitutional.

Shield Laws are laws that give reporters some protection from being forced to disclose confidential information or sources in a state case. In 1972, reporters were arguing that they have the right to keep certain information secret, the Court ruled that they have no such special right. The Court added that some special exemptions must come from Congress and the states.

Equal Time Doctrine has to do with radio and television, they must give a certain amount of time for all candidates for public office, and also are able to be punished for using obscene or indecent language on air. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) monitor communications because it is not the same as newspapers and magazines. They control the airwaves by making it a requirement for all stations to buy a three year license to air broadcasts, they cannot censor broadcasts, but they can require that stations observe certain standards while presenting programs.

Freedom of the Press is evolving with the time, as technology evolves so too do the ways we deliver information, giving more reasons to start cases with the Court. It will only get more complicated as the years progress farther into the technological age.