1. The American Press System
Part 1: Introduction

2. The Beginning…
1734
John Peter Zenger’s newspaper, the New York Weekly Journal, published criticism of the British colonial governor
Zenger was thrown into jail and brought to trial in 1735
A jury found Zenger not guilty
Laid the foundation for the First Amendment of the Constitution

3. First Amendment
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

4. Freedom of Press How free is a “free press”? Limited in two ways:
Standards and ethics for journalism
Laws and other legal restrictions

5. Reporting News Responsibly and Ethically
Newspapers strive to present news fairly and responsibly
Sometimes this means a newspaper will practice self-censorship by restricting what it will publish

6. Reporting News Responsibly and Ethically
Censorship, if imposed by an outside party, is illegal under the Constitution
In 1971 The New York Times printed historical facts about the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Government tried to suppress, or censor, this information but the Supreme Court sided with the press

7. Reporting News Responsibly and Ethically
Half-Truths
Occur more often than censorship
Based on incomplete information provided to a journalist
A story written without supplemental information would be one filled with half- truths

8. Reporting News Responsibly and Ethically
Some government actions, whether local or national, are restricted and the press does not have access
In most of these cases, the government must show there is a good reason to keep the press out

9. Reporting News Responsibly and Ethically
Shield Laws
In some states, shield laws protect journalists from the revealing the sources they quote anonymously in stories
Not all states have shield laws
The federal government does not recognize shield laws
In many cases, journalists have refused to reveal their sources and have gone to jail

10. Reporting News Responsibly and Ethically
Pressure from advertisers can also threaten press freedom
May threaten to not advertise if paper does not change its ways
Never give in to pressure from advertisers!