A President & the Press

“Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed — and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment, the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution — not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply ‘give the public what it wants,’ but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion.”

—John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35^th U.S. president, “The President and the Press: Address Before the American Newspaper Publishers Association,” April 27, 1961.  

 

• Editorial Comment: Until no one pays attention to the watchdog.

 

 

 

PeezPIX

Trillium Thrillium

 

The March issue of Senior News is Celebrating Women’s Stories. Check it out.

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“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard