Exclusive: Sharyl Attkisson on Journalism’s Very Dangerous Trend

Sharyl Attkisson, an award-winning investigative reporter who resigned from CBS News earlier this year, says the news media are heading down a dangerous path with attempts to “censor or block stories” that don’t align with their preferred agenda.

In the early days of the Republic, the media was comprised primarily of newspapers and pamphlets written, printed and distributed primarily by small businesses. A town of any size would have two or more competing papers. Competition for paying readers resulted in competing points of view. Since the papers were locally owned, to survive economically the editors had to be responsive to the needs of the local citizens.

Today the mass media (television, radio, newspapers) outlets are owned by large national and international business conglomerates, many with multiple interests other than media. The broadcast media companies are regulated directly by government and availability of licenses and broadcast spectrum is controlled by the government. In addition these companies have many business interests regulated by government and therefore curry the favor of government bureaucrats and politicians.

When you have one political party, whose behavior demonstrates it will use the power to regulate to reward friends and punish enemies, corporations will ultimately consciously or unconsciously behave in way that benefits the total business. Add to that the progressive indoctrination journalists receive in the elite colleges and universities they attend, and the activist editors and publishers, it is not surprising journalists are no longer free to seek and report the truth. Add to that the fact progressive administrations deny access to information and interviews when reporters write unfavorable stories, reporters covering government must cow tow to do their jobs.

To some extent alternative media (talk radio, internet blogs and publications) provide some balance to reporting. However, it is only a matter of time before the regulatory state places its heavy hand on these outlets through hate speech laws, fairness regulations for talk radio, and censorship of the internet.

"It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others; or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own. It behooves him, too, in his own case, to give no example of concession, betraying the common right of independent opinion . . . ." --Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1803.

"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and 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." --Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787.

There is a truly principled argument to be made for the Founders' Constitution's protection of free speech and freedom of the press.

When one dimension of liberty is threatened, then all are at risk, and the blatant example of unconstitutional use of government power provided by this "battle" deserves a more competent argument than is currently being provided by either Fox or other "conservative" organizations.

It's time for a long overdue history and civics lessons, especially for the young! Tell them about why Thomas Jefferson, who was criticized by the press of his day, was so outspoken on the idea of a free press! Bet they've never heard it in school.

Claim a larger battleground--a battle of ideas. Contrast those ideas with those of dictatorships and totalitarian governments which have oppressed their citizens and controlled the marketplace of ideas by restricting the press!

Stop playing in the Administration's playpen. Force it onto an unfamiliar battleground where the ideas of liberty are presented versus the ideas of tyranny. Contrast the 200-year history of America with that of every totalitatian regime, and future generations may be able to mark this point in our history as a turning point for reclaiming freedom.

"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." --Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786.

"No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying, and which we trust will end in establishing the fact, that man may be governed by reason and truth. 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."(Underlining added for emphasis) --Thomas Jefferson to John Tyler, 1804. ME 11:33

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