Freedom of the press in the United States - Wikipedia Freedom of the press in the United States Freedom of the press in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment is generally understood to prevent the government from interfering with the distribution of information and opinions. Nevertheless, freedom of the press is subject to certain restrictions, such as defamation law. Contents 1 History 1.1 Thirteen Colonies 1.2 20th century 1.2. 1 Near v. Minnesota 1.2. 2 Branzburg v. Hayes 1.2. 3 Associated Press v. United States 1.2. 4 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan 1.2. 5 Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Association, Inc. v. Bresler 1.2. 6 New York Times Co. v. United States 1.3 21st century 1.3. 1 Stop Online Piracy Act 1.3. 2 Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox 2 Ranking of United States press freedom 3 Notable exceptions 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading History Thirteen Colonies In the Thirteen Colonies before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the media was subject to a series of regulations. British authorities attempted to prohibit the publication and circulation of information of which they did not approve. One of the earliest cases concerning freedom of the press occurred in 1734. In a libel case against The New York Weekly Journal publisher John Peter Zenger by British governor William Cosby, Zenger was acquitted and the publication continued until 1751. At that time, there were only two newspapers in New York City and the second was not critical of Cosby 's government. The First Amendment permits information, ideas and opinions without interference, constraint or prosecution by the government. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights. 20th century Near v. Minnesota The 1931 U.S. Supreme Court decision Near v. Minnesota recognized freedom of the press by roundly rejecting prior restraints on publication, a principle that applied to free speech generally in subsequent jurisprudence. The court ruled that a Minnesota law targeting publishers of malicious or scandalous newspapers violated the First Amendment ( as applied through the Fourteenth Amendment ). Branzburg v. Hayes Freedom of the press was described in Branzburg v. Hayes as `` a fundamental personal right '', not confined to newspapers and periodicals. In Lovell v. City of Griffin ( 1938 ), Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes defined the press as `` every sort of publication which affords a vehicle of information and opinion. '' This right has been extended to newspapers, books, plays, movies, and video games. Associated press v. United States Associated Press v. United States ( 1945 ) dealt with media cooperation and consolidation. The court held that the AP violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by prohibiting the sale or proliferation of news to nonmember organizations and keeping nonmembers from joining ; the AP bylaws constituted restraint of trade, and the fact that AP had not achieved a monopoly was irrelevant. The First Amendment did not excuse newspapers from the Sherman Antitrust Act. News, traded between states, counts as interstate commerce and is subject to the act. Freedom of the press from governmental interference under the First Amendment does not sanction repression of that freedom by private interests ( 326 U.S. 20 ). Justice Hugo Black wrote, `` The First Amendment... rests on the assumption that the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the welfare of the public... Freedom to publish is guaranteed by the Constitution, but freedom to combine to keep others from publishing is not ''. New York Times Co. v. Sullivan In New York Times Co. v. Sullivan ( 1964 ), the Supreme Court ruled that when a publication involves a public figure, to support a suit for libel the plaintiff bears the burden of proving that the publisher acted with actual malice : knew of the inaccuracy of the statement or acted with reckless disregard of its truth. Greenbelt cooperative publishing association, Inc. v. bresler Main article : Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Ass'n, Inc. v. Bresler In 1970, the Supreme Court held that using the word `` blackmail '' in a newspaper article `` was no more than rhetorical hyperbole '' and that finding such usage as libel `` would subvert the most fundamental meaning of a free press '' guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. New York Times Co. v. United States Main article : New York Times Co. v. United States In 1971, the Supreme Court upheld the publication of the Pentagon Papers. 21st century Although it had been uncertain whether people who blog or use other social media are journalists entitled to protection by media shield laws, they are protected by the Free Speech and Free Press Clauses ( neither of which differentiates between media businesses and nonprofessional speakers ). This is further supported by the Supreme Court, which has refused to grant increased First Amendment protection to institutional media over other speakers ; In a case involving campaign finance laws, the court rejected the `` suggestion that communication by corporate members of the institutional press is entitled to greater constitutional protection than the same communication by '' non-institutional - press businesses. Stop Online Piracy Act On October 26, 2011 the Stop Online Piracy Act, which opponents said would threaten free speech and censor the Internet, was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that President Obama `` ( would ) not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression. '' The bill was shelved in 2012 after widespread protests. Obsidian finance group, llc v. Cox Main article : Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox On 2014, blogger Crystal Cox accused Obsidian and Kevin D. Padrick of corrupt and fraudulent conduct. Although the court dismissed most of Cox 's blog posts as opinion, it found one post to be more factual in its assertions ( and, therefore, defamatory ). It was ruled for the first time, by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, that a blogger is entitled to the same free speech protection as a journalist and can not be liable for defamation unless the blogger acted negligently. In the decision, journalists and bloggers are equally protected under the First Amendment because the `` protections of the First Amendment do not turn on whether the defendant was a trained journalist, formally affiliated with traditional news entities, engaged in conflict - of - interest disclosure, went beyond just assembling others ' writings, or tried to get both sides of a story. '' Ranking of United States press freedom Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization, ranked the United States 30th out of 197 countries in press freedom in 2014. Its report praised the constitutional protections given American journalists and criticized authorities for placing undue limits on investigative reporting in the name of national security. Freedom House gives countries a score out of 100, with 0 the most free and 100 the least free. The score is broken down into three separately - weighted categories : legal ( out of 30 ), political ( out of 40 ) and economic ( out of 30 ). The United States scored 6, 10, and 5, respectively, that year for a cumulative score of 21. In 2014, the U.S. ranked 46th in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. This is a measure of freedom available to the press, which encompasses areas such as government censorship and is not indicative of journalistic quality. Its ranking fell from 20th in 2010 to 42nd in 2012, which was attributed to arrests of journalists covering the Occupy movement. The U.S. ranked 49th in 2015 and 41st in 2016. In 2012, Finland and Norway tied for first place worldwide. Canada ranked 10th, Germany tied with Jamaica for 17th and Japan tied with Suriname for 22nd. The UK ranked 28th, Australia 30th and France 38th. Extraterritorial regions of the U.S. ranked 57th. Notable exceptions In 1798, shortly after the adoption of the Constitution, the governing Federalist Party attempted to stifle criticism with the Alien and Sedition Acts. According to the Sedition Act, criticism of Congress or the President ( but not the Vice-President ) was a crime ; Thomas Jefferson -- a non-Federalist -- was Vice-President when the act was passed. These restrictions on the press were very unpopular, leading to the party 's eventual demise. Jefferson, who vehemently opposed the acts, was elected president in 1800 and pardoned most of those convicted under them. In his March 4, 1801 inaugural address, he reiterated his longstanding commitment to freedom of speech and of the press : `` If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it. '' In mid-August 1861, four New York City newspapers ( the New York Daily News, The Journal of Commerce, the Day Book and the New York Freeman 's Journal ) were given a presentment by a U.S. Circuit Court grand jury for `` frequently encouraging the rebels by expressions of sympathy and agreement ''. This began a series of federal prosecutions during the Civil War of northern U.S. newspapers which expressed sympathy for Southern causes or criticized the Lincoln administration. Lists of `` peace newspapers '', published in protest by the New York Daily News, were used to plan retributions. The Bangor Democrat in Maine, was one of these newspapers ; assailants believed part of a covert Federal raid destroyed the press and set the building ablaze. These actions followed executive orders issued by President Abraham Lincoln ; his August 7, 1861 order made it illegal ( punishable by death ) to conduct `` correspondence with '' or give `` intelligence to the enemy, either directly or indirectly ''. The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, which amended it, imposed restrictions on the press during wartime. The acts imposed a fine of $10,000 and up to 20 years ' imprisonment for those publishing ``... disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag... '' In Schenck v. United States ( 1919 ) the Supreme Court upheld the laws, setting the `` clear and present danger '' standard. Congress repealed both laws in 1921, and Brandenburg v. Ohio ( 1969 ) revised the clear - and - present - danger test to the significantly less - restrictive `` imminent lawless action '' test. In Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ( 1988 ), the Supreme Court upheld the right of a school principal to review ( and suppress ) controversial articles in a school newspaper funded by the school and published in its name. In United States v. Manning ( 2013 ), Chelsea Manning was found guilty of six counts of espionage for furnishing classified information to Wikileaks. See also United States portal Freedom of speech portal Freedom of speech in the United States References ^ Jump up to : `` First Amendment : An Overview ''. Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia. Legal Information Institute of the Cornell University. Retrieved 18 April 2014. ^ Jump up to : McConnell, Michael W. ( November 2013 ). `` Reconsidering Citizens United as a Press Clause Case ''. The Yale Law Journal. 123 2013 - 2014 ( 2 November 2013 Pages 266 - 529 ). Retrieved 19 April 2014. Jump up ^ 408 U.S. 665 ( 1972 ) Jump up ^ Lovell v. City of Griffin, 303 U.S. 444 ( 1938 ) Jump up ^ Lovell, at 452 Jump up ^ Adam Liptak ( June 27, 2011 ). `` Justices Reject Ban on Violent Video Games for Children ''. The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Associated Press v. United States 326 U.S. 1 ( 1945 ) '', Justia. US Supreme Court. June 18, 1945. Retrieved 8 feb 2017 Jump up ^ `` Media Bias '', Paul Ruschmann. Infobase Publishing, 2006. p. 87. Retrieved 8 feb 2017 Jump up ^ Mataconis, Doug ( May 28, 2013 ). `` Bloggers, Media Shield Laws, And The First Amendment ''. Outside The Beltway. Retrieved August 9, 2013. Jump up ^ Eugene Volokh ( Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law at Los Angeles School of Law of the University of California. `` The American Heritage Foundatio 's Guide to the Constitution : Freedom of Speech and of the Press ''. The American Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 18 April 2014. Jump up ^ See Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514 ( 2001 ) where the Court, `` draw no distinction between the media respondents and '' a non-institutional respondent. Jump up ^ See Cohen v. Cowles Media Co., 501 U.S. 663 ( 1991 ) where the Court held that the press gets no special immunity from laws that apply to others, including those -- such as copyright law -- that target communication. Jump up ^ See also Henry v. Collins, 380 U.S. 356, 357 ( 1965 ) ( per curiam ) ( applying Sullivan standard to a statement by an arrestee ) ; Garrison v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 64, 67 -- 68 ( 1964 ) ( applying Sullivan standard to statements by an elected district attorney ) ; New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. at 286 ( applying identical First Amendment protection to a newspaper defendant and individual defendants ). Jump up ^ First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, 435 U.S. 765 ( 1978 ) Jump up ^ `` Texas Insider ''. Texas Insider. p. 1. Retrieved January 19, 2012. Jump up ^ `` SOPA bill shelved after global protests from Google, Wikipedia and others ''. Washington Post. January 20, 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016. ^ Jump up to : Paulson, Ken ( 24 January 2014 ). `` Bloggers enjoy First Amendment protection against libel suits ''. First Amendment Center. Retrieved 2 February 2014. In a landmark decision on Friday, a federal appellate court held for the first time that blogs enjoy the same First Amendment protection from libel suits as traditional news media. Jump up ^ Hull, Tim ( 17 January 2014 ). `` Blogger 's Speech Rights Championed in the 9th ''. Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 2 February 2014. I think it sets an important precedent that bloggers, for First Amendment purposes, have the same rights as others do, as for example the institutional media does, '' Volokh said in a phone interview. `` There have been plenty of past cases around the circuits that point in that direction, but this is the first time that the 9th Circuit has specifically ruled on this, and this is one of the cases that has focused on bloggers. Most cases have dealt with other nonprofessional media, but this one is particularly the first clear blogging case that I know from the circuit courts. ^ Jump up to : Arthur L. Alarcón, Milan D. Smith, Jr., and Andrew D. Hurwitz ( 17 January 2014 ). `` United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit case Obsidian Finance Group LLC and Kevin Padrick vs. Crystal Cox ( 12 - 35238 ) '' ( PDF ). United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit case. Retrieved 2 February 2014. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Levine, Dan ( 17 January 2014 ). `` Blogger gets same speech protections as traditional press : U.S. court ''. Reuters. Retrieved 2 February 2014. Jump up ^ Hull, Tim ( 17 January 2014 ). `` Blogger 's Speech Rights Championed in the 9th ''. Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 2 February 2014. Jump up ^ `` Press Freedom Rankings - Freedom House ''. Jump up ^ `` United States - Country report - Freedom of the Press - 2014 ''. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2016. Jump up ^ Jack Mirkinson ( January 25, 2012 ). `` Press Freedom Index : Occupy Wall Street Journalist Arrests Cost U.S. Dearly In Latest Survey ''. Huffington Post. Jump up ^ `` Ranking 2015 ''. Reporters Without Borders. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ranking 2016 ''. Reporters Without Borders. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Avalon Project ''. Yale Law School. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Jump up ^ Words at War : The Civil War and American Journalism by David B. Sachsman, Purdue University Press, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Executive Order ''. American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Espionage Act, 7 May 1918 ''. firstworldwar.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Further reading Tran, Jasper ( 2016 ). `` Press Clause and 3D Printing ''. Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. 14 : 75. Epps, Garrett and David B. Oppenheimer. Freedom of the Press : The First Amendment : Its Constitutional History and the Contemporary Debate ( 2008 ) Martin, Robert W.T. The Free and Open Press : The Founding of American Democratic Press Liberty, 1640 - 1800 ( 2012 ). Nelson, Harold Lewis, ed. Freedom of the Press from Hamilton to the Warren Court ( Bobbs - Merrill Company, 1967 ) Powe, Lucas A. The Fourth Estate and the Constitution : Freedom of the Press in America ( Univ of California Press, 1992 ) Ross, Gary. Who Watches the Watchmen ? : The Conflict Between National Security and Freedom of the Press ( 2015 ) United States First Amendment case law Establishment Clause Public funding Everson v. Board of Education ( 1947 ) McCollum v. Board of Education ( 1948 ) Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York ( 1970 ) Lemon v. Kurtzman ( 1971 ) Tilton v. Richardson ( 1971 ) Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. Nyquist ( 1973 ) Sloan v. Lemon ( 1973 ) Wolman v. Walter ( 1977 ) Marsh v. Chambers ( 1983 ) Mueller v. Allen ( 1983 ) Aguilar v. Felton ( 1985 ) Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet ( 1994 ) Agostini v. Felton ( 1997 ) Mitchell v. Helms ( 2000 ) Zelman v. Simmons - Harris ( 2002 ) Locke v. Davey ( 2004 ) Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn ( 2011 ) Public displays Stone v. Graham ( 1980 ) Lynch v. Donnelly ( 1984 ) Board of Trustees of Scarsdale v. McCreary ( 1985 ) County of Allegheny v. ACLU ( 1989 ) McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky ( 2005 ) Van Orden v. Perry ( 2005 ) Pleasant Grove City v. Summum ( 2009 ) School prayer Zorach v. Clauson ( 1952 ) Engel v. Vitale ( 1962 ) Abington School District v. Schempp ( 1963 ) Stone v. Graham ( 1980 ) Wallace v. Jaffree ( 1985 ) Lee v. Weisman ( 1992 ) Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe ( 2000 ) Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow ( 2004 ) Creationism Epperson v. Arkansas ( 1968 ) Edwards v. Aguillard ( 1987 ) Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District ( M.D. Pa. 2005 ) Legislature prayer Marsh v. Chambers ( 1983 ) Town of Greece v. Galloway ( 2014 ) Establishment Clause, Other McGowan v. Maryland ( 1961 ) Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York ( 1970 ) McDaniel v. Paty ( 1978 ) Widmar v. Vincent ( 1981 ) Larkin v. Grendel 's Den, Inc. ( 1982 ) Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc. ( 1985 ) Texas Monthly, Inc. v. Bullock ( 1989 ) Hosanna - Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ( 2012 ) Free Exercise Clause Vidal v. Girard 's Executors ( 1844 ) Reynolds v. United States ( 1879 ) Davis v. Beason ( 1890 ) Schneider v. New Jersey ( 1939 ) Cantwell v. Connecticut ( 1940 ) Minersville School District v. Gobitis ( 1940 ) Murdock v. Pennsylvania ( 1943 ) United States v. Ballard ( 1944 ) Braunfeld v. Brown ( 1961 ) Torcaso v. Watkins ( 1961 ) Sherbert v. Verner ( 1963 ) Presbyterian Church v. Hull Church ( 1969 ) Wisconsin v. Yoder ( 1972 ) NLRB v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago ( 1979 ) Harris v. McRae ( 1980 ) Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division ( 1981 ) United States v. Lee ( 1982 ) Bob Jones University v. United States ( 1983 ) Bowen v. Roy ( 1986 ) Goldman v. Weinberger ( 1986 ) Employment Division v. Smith ( 1990 ) Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah ( 1993 ) City of Boerne v. Flores ( 1997 ) Watchtower Society v. Village of Stratton ( 2002 ) Cutter v. Wilkinson ( 2005 ) Gonzales v. UDV ( 2006 ) Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer ( 2017 ) Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ( under consideration ) Freedom of speech ( portal ) Sedition and imminent danger Alien and Sedition Acts ( 1798 ) Masses Publishing Co. v. Patten ( S.D.N.Y. 1917 ) Schenck v. United States ( 1919 ) Abrams v. United States ( 1919 ) Gitlow v. New York ( 1925 ) Whitney v. California ( 1927 ) Dennis v. United States ( 1951 ) Communist Party v. Subversive Activities Control Board ( 1955, 1961 ) Yates v. United States ( 1957 ) Bond v. Floyd ( 1966 ) Brandenburg v. Ohio ( 1969 ) False speech Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. ( 1974 ) United States v. Alvarez ( 2012 ) Fighting words and the heckler 's veto Cantwell v. Connecticut ( 1940 ) Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire ( 1942 ) Terminiello v. Chicago ( 1949 ) Feiner v. New York ( 1951 ) Gregory v. Chicago ( 1969 ) National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie ( 1977 ) R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul ( 1992 ) Snyder v. Phelps ( 2011 ) Elonis v. United States ( 2015 ) Freedom of assembly and public forums Hague v. CIO ( 1939 ) Schneider v. New Jersey ( 1939 ) Thornhill v. Alabama ( 1940 ) Martin v. City of Struthers ( 1943 ) Marsh v. Alabama ( 1946 ) Niemotko v. Maryland ( 1951 ) Edwards v. South Carolina ( 1963 ) Cox v. Louisiana ( 1965 ) Brown v. Louisiana ( 1966 ) Adderley v. Florida ( 1966 ) Carroll v. Town of Princess Anne ( 1968 ) Coates v. Cincinnati ( 1971 ) Organization for a Better Austin v. Keefe ( 1971 ) Lloyd Corp. v. Tanner ( 1972 ) Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins ( 1980 ) Widmar v. Vincent ( 1981 ) Hill v. Colorado ( 2000 ) McCullen v. Coakley ( 2014 ) Packingham v. North Carolina ( 2017 ) Symbolic speech Stromberg v. California ( 1931 ) United States v. O'Brien ( 1968 ) Cohen v. California ( 1971 ) Smith v. Goguen ( 1974 ) Texas v. Johnson ( 1989 ) United States v. Eichman ( 1990 ) Virginia v. Black ( 2003 ) Compelled speech Minersville School District v. Gobitis ( 1940 ) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette ( 1943 ) Wooley v. Maynard ( 1977 ) Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth ( 2000 ) Davenport v. Washington Education Association ( 2007 ) Knox v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1000 ( 2012 ) Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, Inc. ( 2013 ) Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ( under consideration ) Loyalty oaths American Communications Association v. Douds ( 1950 ) Garner v. Board of Public Works ( 1951 ) Speiser v. Randall ( 1958 ) Keyishian v. Board of Regents ( 1967 ) Communist Party of Indiana v. Whitcomb ( 1974 ) School speech Minersville School District v. Gobitis ( 1940 ) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette ( 1943 ) Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District ( 1969 ) Island Trees School District v. Pico ( 1982 ) Bethel School District v. Fraser ( 1986 ) Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier ( 1988 ) Rosenberger v. University of Virginia ( 1995 ) Morse v. Frederick ( 2007 ) Obscenity Rosen v. United States ( 1896 ) United States v. One Book Called Ulysses ( S.D.N.Y. 1933 ) Roth v. United States ( 1957 ) One, Inc. v. Olesen ( 1958 ) Marcus v. Search Warrant ( 1961 ) MANual Enterprises v. Day ( 1962 ) Jacobellis v. Ohio ( 1964 ) Quantity of Books v. Kansas ( 1964 ) Freedman v. Maryland ( 1965 ) Ginzburg v. United States ( 1966 ) Memoirs v. Massachusetts ( 1966 ) Redrup v. New York ( 1967 ) Ginsberg v. New York ( 1968 ) Stanley v. Georgia ( 1969 ) Cohen v. California ( 1971 ) United States v. Thirty - seven Photographs ( 1971 ) Kois v. Wisconsin ( 1972 ) Miller v. California ( 1973 ) Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton ( 1973 ) United States v. 12 200 - ft. Reels of Film ( 1973 ) Jenkins v. Georgia ( 1974 ) Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville ( 1975 ) Young v. American Mini Theatres ( 1976 ) New York v. Ferber ( 1982 ) American Booksellers v. Hudnut ( 7th Cir., 1985 ) Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. ( 1986 ) Osborne v. Ohio ( 1990 ) United States v. X-Citement Video ( 1994 ) Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union ( 1997 ) United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group ( 2000 ) Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition ( 2002 ) Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union ( 2002 ) Nitke v. Gonzales ( S.D.N.Y., 2005 ) United States v. Williams ( 2008 ) FCC v. Fox Televisions Stations - 2 cases ( 2009 and 2012 ) American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression v. Strickland ( 6th Cir., 2009 ) United States v. Kilbride ( 9th Cir., 2009 ) United States v. Stevens ( 2010 ) Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association ( 2011 ) Public employees Pickering v. Board of Education ( 1968 ) Perry v. Sindermann ( 1972 ) Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth ( 1972 ) Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle ( 1977 ) Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District ( 1979 ) Connick v. Myers ( 1983 ) Rankin v. McPherson ( 1987 ) Waters v. Churchill ( 1994 ) Garcetti v. Ceballos ( 2006 ) Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri ( 2011 ) Heffernan v. City of Paterson ( 2016 ) Hatch Act and similar laws Ex parte Curtis ( 1882 ) United Public Workers v. Mitchell ( 1947 ) United States Civil Service Commission v. National Association of Letter Carriers ( 1973 ) Broadrick v. Oklahoma ( 1973 ) Licensing and restriction of speech Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio ( 1915 ) Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson ( 1952 ) Freedman v. Maryland ( 1965 ) Virginia State Pharmacy Board v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council ( 1976 ) Hoffman Estates v. The Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. ( 1982 ) Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans ( 2015 ) Matal v. Tam ( 2017 ) Commercial speech Valentine v. Chrestensen ( 1942 ) Rowan v. U.S. Post Office Dept. ( 1970 ) Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations ( 1973 ) Bigelow v. Commonwealth of Virginia ( 1974 ) Virginia State Pharmacy Board v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council ( 1976 ) Bates v. State Bar of Arizona ( 1977 ) Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Willingboro ( 1977 ) Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Ass'n ( 1978 ) Friedman v. Rogers ( 1979 ) Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission ( 1980 ) Consol. Edison Co. v. Public Serv. Comm'n ( 1980 ) Bolger v. Youngs Drug Products ( 1983 ) Zauderer v. Office of Disciplinary Counsel ( 1985 ) Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of California ( 1986 ) Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico ( 1986 ) San Francisco Arts & Athletics, Inc. v. United States Olympic Committee ( 1987 ) 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island ( 1996 ) Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. ( 2011 ) Campaign finance and political speech Buckley v. Valeo ( 1976 ) First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti ( 1978 ) Citizens Against Rent Control v. City of Berkeley ( 1981 ) California Medical Association v. FEC ( 1981 ) Brown v. Socialist Workers ' 74 Campaign Committee ( 1982 ) Regan v. Taxation with Representation of Washington ( 1983 ) FEC v. National Conservative Political Action Committee ( 1985 ) FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life ( 1986 ) Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce ( 1990 ) McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission ( 1995 ) Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC ( 1996 ) Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC ( 2000 ) FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee ( 2001 ) Republican Party of Minnesota v. White ( 2002 ) McConnell v. FEC ( 2003 ) FEC v. Beaumont ( 2003 ) Randall v. Sorrell ( 2006 ) FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. ( 2007 ) Davis v. FEC ( 2008 ) Citizens United v. FEC ( 2010 ) McComish v. Bennett ( 2011 ) American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock ( 2012 ) McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission ( 2014 ) Williams - Yulee v. The Florida Bar ( 2015 ) Freedom of the press Prior restraints and censorship Near v. Minnesota ( 1931 ) Lovell v. City of Griffin ( 1938 ) Hannegan v. Esquire, Inc. ( 1946 ) New York Times Co. v. United States ( 1971 ) Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo ( 1974 ) Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart ( 1976 ) Landmark Communications, Inc. v. Virginia ( 1978 ) Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co. ( 1979 ) Tory v. Cochran ( 2005 ) Privacy Time, Inc. v. Hill ( 1967 ) Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn ( 1975 ) Florida Star v. B.J.F. ( 1989 ) Taxation and privileges Grosjean v. American Press Co. ( 1936 ) Branzburg v. Hayes ( 1972 ) Minneapolis Star Tribune Company v. Commissioner ( 1983 ) Defamation Beauharnais v. Illinois ( 1952 ) New York Times Co. v. Sullivan ( 1964 ) Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts ( 1967 ) Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. ( 1974 ) Time, Inc. v. Firestone ( 1976 ) Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc. ( 1984 ) Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc. ( 1985 ) McDonald v. Smith ( 1985 ) Hustler Magazine v. Falwell ( 1988 ) Harte - Hanks Communications v. Connaughton ( 1989 ) Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co. ( 1990 ) Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox ( 9th Cir., 2014 ) Broadcast media Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC ( 1969 ) FCC v. Pacifica Foundation ( 1978 ) Turner Broadcasting v. FCC ( 1994 ) Bartnicki v. Vopper ( 2001 ) Freedom of association Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath ( 1951 ) Watkins v. United States ( 1957 ) NAACP v. Alabama ( 1958 ) Baggett v. Bullitt ( 1964 ) In re Primus ( 1978 ) Roberts v. United States Jaycees ( 1984 ) Hurley v. Irish - American Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Group of Boston ( 1995 ) Boy Scouts of America v. Dale ( 2000 ) Freedom of the press in North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedom_of_the_press_in_the_United_States&oldid=813726442 '' Categories : Freedom of the press by country American journalism Human rights in the United States Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Talk Contents About Wikipedia 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 4 December 2017, at 22 : 44. 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Question: when was freedom of press established in america
Answer: 1931