Freedom of the PressAlthough it is a popular right, freedom of the press is different from other popular freedoms in that it is both individual and institutional. It applies not only to the right of an individual to publish ideas, but also to the right of the press and media to express political opinions and to cover and publish news. A free press is, therefore, one of the foundations of a democratic society and, as Walter Lippmann, a 20th century American columnist, wrote, "A free press is not a privilege, but an organic necessity in a great society." Indeed, as society has become increasingly complex, people increasingly rely on newspapers, radio and television to keep up with the world's news, opinions and political ideas. One sign of the importance of a free press is that when anti-democratic forces take control of a country, their first act is often to muzzle the press. Thomas Jefferson, on the need for a free press (1787) The basis of our government is the opinion of the people, the first object should be to maintain this right; and if I had to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I would not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.* * * * *The origins of freedom of speech and of the press are almost similar, because the expressions critical of of the government, written or spoken, were subject to punishment under English law. It didn't matter if what was printed was true; The government saw the very fact of the criticism as bad, as it called into question the integrity and trustworthiness of public officials. Progress towards a truly free press, that is, a press in which people could publish their opinions without fear of government reprisal, was stalling, and in the mid-18th century, the great English legal commentator, Sir William Blackstone, declared that, although freedom of the press the press was essential to the nature of a free state, it could and should be limited. Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765) Where blasphemous, immoral, treasonous, schismatic, seditious or scandalous defamations are punished by English law «The freedom of the press, properly understood, is in no way injured or violated. Freedom of the press is in fact essential to the nature of a free state; but this consists in putting... in the middle of the paper the ability of a newspaper or a television, in terms of opinion, to be able to shout out loud to anyone who wants to listen. Additionally, some individuals have created Internet news services that instantly provide specialized information on politics, weather, the stock market, sports, and fashion. In addition to print and broadcast media, the world now has a third branch of print media, the online service. In terms of people's rights, it can be argued that there is no such thing as too much news. The words of Scripture are engraved on the mastheads of many American newspapers: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The Founding Fathers believed that freedom of the press was a necessary protection of the individual from the government. Justice Brandeis believed that the free press provided the information a person needed to fulfill the obligations of citizenship. Probably nowhere else does the nature of a right change as rapidly as in the case of the collection and dissemination of information by the press, but the task remains the same. The press clause of the First Amendment continues to be a structural bulwark of democracy and the people.