U.S. journalists are widely seen as experts on investigative reporting. And, U.S. media leaders are never shy to imply that they are the best. Despite the problems in U.S. journalism today, press freedom is probably greater in the U.S. than in any other country. For all the drawbacks, the guarantees of press freedom under the U.S. Constitution secure American democracy. Censorship takes many forms and raises its head in almost all countries.
Few countries have legal systems that guarantee freedom of the press.
The U.S. system does not embellish upon the notion of press freedom and thereby dilute the concept. The press needs to be free if corruption is to be exposed and curbed and if democracy is to thrive. There are those who may suggest that new democracies are too fragile for a free press. This is dangerous. When the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution was agreed the U.S. was a new and fragile democracy.