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The Press, our ‘Precious Pest’“We are, heart and soul, friends to the freedom of the press. It is however, the prostituted companion of liberty, and somehow or other, we know not how, its efficient auxiliary. It follows the substance like its shade; but while a man walks erect, he may observe that his shadow is almost always in the dirt. It corrupts, it deceives, it inflames. It strips virtue of her honors, and lends to faction its wildfire and its poisoned arms, and in the end is its own enemy and the usurper's ally, It would be easy to enlarge on its evils. They are in England, they are here, they are everywhere. It is a precious pest, and a necessary mischief, and there would be no liberty without it.”
—Fisher Ames (1758-1808), Federalist lawmaker, Massachusetts lawyer and writer, 1807
The Worst of 2008: From the Center for Media & Democracy: Vote in the fifth annual “Falsies Awards” on those most responsible for polluting the information environment.
Who stands out for shameless spinning in 2008? sneaky spooks, pandering pundits, big business bullies, and many more. Click here to cast your vote today!
You were too restrained in your title. Why not go for the sensationalism of "prostituted companion of liberty?" Drive those circulation figures up!
ReplyDeleteIf readers are finding the WORD less compelling than they'd like, maybe it's because you're choosing quotes that are too long, ted? Like this one. Too long. If I can't scan it in a nanosecond, in a quick soundbite, it's too long.
ReplyDelete