On The Importance Of A Free Press In A Free Society
October 29, 2005Arlington, Virginia’s Freedom Park is home to The Newseum — an ambitious project dedicated to “helping the public and the news media understand one another better”.
Funded by Freedom Forum (a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people) the Newseum is more than a museum. It is also a celebration of the First Amendment — that uniquely American covenant between the government and the people, which guarantees an unrestricted flow of information and ensures the United States will remain forever free.
This wildly successful project outgrew its Freedom Park real estate in 2002, but construction is underway for an expanded Newseum on “America’s Main Street”: Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. Though you won’t be able to visit the new location in person until 2007, the Newseum’s online presence endures as a comforting beacon of freedom.
I specifically enjoy visiting the Today’s Front Pages section. Reviewing this daily scan of more than 300 newspapers from around the United States is a powerful reminder that a free press truly is a key pillar of justice, and the foundation of democracy.
