In a country with competing newspapers, TV and radio news channels and a seemingly unlimited number of news websites, a free and competitive press seems a given. But free, independent news sources are not available everywhere in this world. In totalitarian countries such as China or Cuba, news and internet resources are censored by the government. This censorship creates societies that do not have the same technological advancements that countries with uncensored news have. With the lack of technology, it is difficult for censored countries to compete in the world market. With censorship of the news, the same sharing of information cannot occur, making competition in the world market more difficult for these countries.
Having free, independent news sources is important to society today because it prompts competition for the fastest, most accurate news. This competition in the news world lets readers receive every bit of the story in an unbiased fashion. If the news was anything but unbiased or complete, the readers would stop reading that particular news sources, putting it out of business.
A free media ensures that information is not restrained or censored by the government and our nation is informed on everything, not just what the government wants us to know. This helps people form their own opinion on whether a particular decision or event is morally, politically or socially correct. If we did not have free, independent news sources, if the government censored our newspapers, we would only read the news the government wanted us to read. Also, we would only receive the story from the government’s point of view. This would create a nation full of ignorant people, not knowing what was going on in world events, or able to formulate opinions on federal actions. In essence, free news sources support democracy itself. With the United States having multiple political parties, free news allows the full story, not a censored story that supports only one political party. The ability to formulate our own opinions in our nation gives the United States a unique quality that not all people have. We can have articles published about government scandals and public reactions towards those scandals. Informed citizens help make sure their government is doing the right thing. They can make sure government organizations cannot get away with bad behavior.
Free, independent news sources are critical to today’s world because they allow the quick transfer of uncensored news. Free news also allows readers to formulate opinions and make their own decisions. This informed society requires the world to be fair and just, letting everyone feel the benefits of free news.