Op-ed: Patriots for freedom of the press

By Tim Roper

The rule of law has kept our country safe from despots for almost 240 years. Our Constitution, ratified by the states in 1788, was missing a Bill of Rights — an absence that kept several founders from signing. James Madison introduced one the following year, and 10 amendments were ratified in December of 1791.

The First Amendment’s place at the top was no accident: the freedoms of religion, speech, and press were understood as the most foundational political rights of all. Freedom of the Press is at the core of our freedom from tyranny. George Washington had a notably complicated relationship with the press — he was one of its most savaged targets — yet still defended its necessity: “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

Thomas Jefferson stood by these principles with equal conviction:

• “The only thing worse than an irresponsible free press is no free press at all.”
• “No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying … Our first object should therefore be to leave open to him all the avenues to truth. The most effectual hitherto found is the freedom of the press. It is, therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions.”
• “The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed.”
• “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Given the escalating attacks on the free press we are witnessing, it’s imperative that we heed our founders’ wisdom. Defunding public broadcasting. Massive lawsuits against outlets critical of the current president. Selectively blocking Pentagon briefings to control reporting. Consolidating media ownership to suppress dissent. Pressuring local publishers to defer to local government. These are not hypotheticals — they are happening now. Left unchecked, they will result in an ever-deeper consolidation of power, and a public left wondering what happened to our republic.

It is up to us — We The People — to defend our Constitution, because too many within our government are working to tear it down. Being a Patriot means standing up for our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and the Rule of Law, especially when government itself is the threat. Don’t be fooled by the Trump machine’s propaganda; the stakes are far too high to sit back and hope that a government of, by, and for The People will survive without The People demanding it.

Tim Roper is a Chester resident and member of the Chester Select Board.