The First Amendment ensures certain inalienable rights for United States citizens, including: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble peacefully and more. One of the most important freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment is known as “freedom of the press.” This amendment was created with the intention of keeping the American public informed of the events taking place within their own government, and as such, allows citizens to formulate educated opinions on modern-day topics and take action. However, recently, the right to free press has been utilized to fear-monger and facilitate a deeper divide between political parties. While being knowledgeable about one’s government is incredibly important, demonizing one side or the other does nothing but foster a deeper division within the American public and leave society open to abuses of power by their government. Freedom of the press is a keystone to a politically informed society, but has recently been undermined and abused by journalists who report based on their personal affiliations rather than facts, thus facilitating a divided society open to political corruption.
Admittedly, freedom of the press provides an integral foundation upon which citizens may formulate well-educated opinions. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech go hand-in-hand, as freedom of the press is protected by freedom of speech and freedom of speech is formulated by the free press. However, it is integral to note that freedom of the press and freedom of speech are not synonymous with freedom from consequences. As the press becomes more and more opinion-based, society as a whole becomes less and less educated. The politically divided nature of current news-reporting has become detrimental to this “press freedom” as it inherently pollutes the true intentions of having a free press in the first place.
If one takes the time to contrast the way in which one story is written between two different news outlets, the political affiliations are clear. For example, when watching a FOX News report on immigration, certain connotative words such as “illegals” or even “aliens” may be heard from the right-wing broadcast. Conversely, the more leftist CNN reports on immigration by describing “families” being torn apart and focusing on the livelihood of the children. All of this terminology can be utilized to subconsciously sway an audience towards one direction or the other.
Regardless of political affiliation, the truth is this: subjective reporting on factual events is simply inaccurate news writing.
When a news outlet loses objectivity, it is a bad news outlet. Period. There are no exceptions. When one cannot turn on the TV and listen to what’s happening without being fed opinionated claims by either the left or the right side, then the news is failing at its exercising of the first amendment.
Modern-day news outlets’ ability to take a subjective stance on reporting has polluted the entire point of the First Amendment. This misuse and abuse are unacceptable.
The corruption of the news has created an environment where people are unable to form an educated and fully-fledged opinion. A die-hard FOX listener may have been fed so much right-wing information that they are completely ignorant of any actions being taken by the left, and instead believe in these inaccurate news reports demonizing liberals or democrats as a whole. In contrast, someone receiving all political information from liberal TikTok accounts that vilify all right-leaning individuals may develop a tendency to mimic this hate of all republicans. This one-sidedness closes off open minds and limits free thought and analytical thinking, as listeners may not be willing to hear out the opinions of both sides before formulating their own stance.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “United we stand, divided we fall.” As a country, the only thing we should be fighting against is division, not each other. Unity is what builds a country. When a society allows itself to become divided, it leaves itself open to attack by foreign bodies or power-hungry dictators. It is this division that facilitates the obliteration of a society.
News outlets have failed. Reporters have become figureheads of propaganda, cameramen have morphed into recordholders of lies and editors have become dictators of inaccuracy. The media’s inability to stay unpolluted by human opinion has failed, and as such, American society has fallen into a social war. The division facilitated by media outlets has crippled America’s standing as an international superpower.
American politicians cannot make the best choices for the public without representation of both sides of an argument. “It takes a left wing and a right wing for the eagle to fly,” Christian writer Francine Rivers said. The American public cannot form opinions without both sides of the story. News outlets cannot be considered successful without reporting on both viewpoints of a situation. Without “both,” there is simply nothing.
