A free press continues to inform

As we mark the inauguration of the first African American President, let us not lose site of the freedoms we enjoy in this country that allow us to elect a president through a democratic process, celebrate his political ascension or demonstrate against his political views and hold him, and others, accountable for the decisions they make on our behalf.

Let us celebrate an independent press established by our founding fathers and designed to serve as a watchdog. "A free press, which leads to an informed populace, is essential to liberty. The basis of our government 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 for a moment to prefer the latter." Thomas Jefferson

"The press" is a broad term and includes all means by which information is made available to people: newspapers, television, radio, books, lectures, movies, art, dance, telephone, CDs, videos, magazines, etc. It's generally known as "the press" in our country because, when the founding fathers wrote freedom of the press into the Bill of Rights, the printing press was the most popular form of mass communication.

In 2009, the newspaper (the original "press") continues to inform and educate Americans. A recent study by Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Center for Advanced Social Research at the Missouri School of Journalism found that, among newspapers with a circulation of 25,000 or under, 86 percent of the adults in their community read the local newspaper. Readers rely on larger newspapers as well…67 percent of adults have read a daily newspaper in the past five days and 69 percent have read a Sunday newspaper in the past month. And main news is read by an astounding 91 percent of adults.

Forty percent of readers of community newspapers keep the paper for six or more days and on average, readers spend 45 minutes reading their community newspaper. Over 200 years later, the newspaper continues to inform and educate.

Sources:
RJI’s Center for Advanced Social Research, University of Missouri
Scarborough Research, 2007 Release 2 (Top 50 Market Report)

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