In the American system, our free media is an essential source of the information that is at the heart of a free society. This critical role endows the media with its own power, which, when used irresponsibly, can threaten a free society. In many nations, the government takes on the role of primary regulator of the media. In the United States, our solution has been to rely on market forces, competition, responsibility, and a highly evolved set of self-controls that we call journalism ethics. Broadcast media and the Internet have created a new set of challenges that are on occasion addressed in the United States in a governmental regulatory framework, but always in the context of basic constitutional principles and protections of our free press.
Journalists everywhere have a vital role to provide the public with knowledge and understanding.
But as they practice their craft in a world that is both technologically and geographically changing, systematic standards must guide their work. Only in that way will journalists serve their society in an ethically responsible and constructive fashion. The First Amendment, economics, and a presumption against regulation play major roles in shaping press freedom in the United States. A new kind of journalism challenges citizens to get involved and help tackle problems in their communities. Investigative Journalism Investigative reporting remains one of the most important contributions that the press makes to democracy, but journalists in this field must constantly assess the ethics of their techniques.