For centuries, nations had been governed by monarchies where a King's word was law and those who spoke out against the Crown were punished immediately. Short of open and bloody rebellion, the citizen had no recourse. And when the King held the loyalty of the army, such attempts were dangerous, if not suicidal. The First Amendment provided the shield an individual American needed in order to speak up without having to suffer consequences. Despite the guarantee of free speech, however, some individuals in modern governments still attempt to keep their activities secret.
Free speech means little without free access to information.
For more than 20 years, the Church of Scientology has been an active and outspoken supporter of laws to strengthen FOIA and of those who use the Act to effectively expose government secrets. During the late 1970s, for example, Freedom ran a continuing series which exposed how the government manipulated the media by cultivating friendly reporters as intelligence operatives, planting false news stories and squelching stories critical of the government or its officials. All Rights Reserved.