The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-01-02
A FREE PRESS

purchased in past ages with the blood and
anguish of heroes. The pity about it is
that many Of the recipients of these bless
ings do not realize what they have simply
because they have never known any
other condition.
In America, for example, what Amer
free press? Except for some slight CEN
sorship in times of war, American news
paper editors have been free to print the
news ard their interpretations thereof, UNI
hindered by any autocratic hand of die
tatorial government
Whatever happens, as far as keenly
intelligent reporters can discover the facts,
are promptly brought to the attention of
millions of readers in the daily columns of
thousands of newspapers Our people
know this. They do not know what it
would be to live with these channels of
news and comment tainted and colored by
greedy, self-interested officials.
1t is not so everywhere. In Germany
and Italy, for example, where Dictators
Hitler and Mussolini rule, the press only
prints what the government permits them
to, and very often even the editorial COM
ment upon national and international af-
fairs is along lines of thought laid down
by the propaganda chiefs of the respective
governments.
Newspaper readers in Germany and
Italy, perhaps Russia and Japan, as well,
can only read what the men in public of
flee and power are willing for them to
read, and these men use the columns of
the papers to influence the peoples
thoughts and actions. By coloring the
news, by suppressing unfavorable facts,
by controlling the discussion of public af-
fairs, dictators in office can fool and mis-
lead the public, to its hurt but not to any
injury of the dictators.
Men and women who love liberty will
always oppose censorship of the press,
and, perhaps, many other forms of dicta-
ton and control. When freedom of speech
and of the press no longer endure in these
United States. or any one of them, then at
that time free government will be non
existent also. Readers will take their
news and live their lives as a few dictators
and autOcratic rulers dish it out to them
they will be monkeys and no longer men.
Newspaper publishers and editors are
quick to resent any invasion of their free
dom by the government The people have
been with them thus far and will probably
stay with them for some time longer. They
.;eem to realize fairly we'll what a con-
trolled press would mean. Newspaper
operators may depend upon the public to
defend them. unless the men and women
who compose that public believe one thing
about the newspapers and their news
columns
That one thing is that those columns
are being controlled by something else
other than an honest, sincere presentation
of the truth, either in news or editorial
columns Newspaper publishers should
take care to keep the confidence of the
people by never allowing special interests,
either political financial, or religious, to
dictate what shall and shall not be printed
for all mankind to read. Editors and pub
fishers must do their part to keep the press
free" not only from unjust governmental
dictatior but from improper considerations
of other kinds, as we'll.
The public will help keep the press
free from governmental interference with
its liberties if it feels that the press is free
from other improper taints. Newspaper
men themselves must keep the press free
from other improper influences.