In 1791, when the Bill of Rights was ratified into law, 'the press' was what, a number of multinational corporations that wholly controlled mainstream media?
No. It was everybody with an opinion, some of whom bothered to write out their opinions and post them (often anonymously). Those who could afford the cost of publication took their work to the printer to run off a number of posters, or even a newpaper (of a few pages).
Today, the police can round up the press as terrorists. They can silence anybody. They can take away cameras and beat, rob, and cage the cameraman. The police can conceal their identities to prevent prosecution. They are literally above the law.
But the cops are having a hard time with the blogosphere, since, against that, the cops are badly outnumbered and outwitted.
The only truly free press we have today is on the Internet -- as news sites, blogs, and email.
In 1791, when the Bill of Rights was ratified into law, 'the press' was what, a number of multinational corporations that wholly controlled mainstream media?
No. It was everybody with an opinion, some of whom bothered to write out their opinions and post them (often anonymously). Those who could afford the cost of publication took their work to the printer to run off a number of posters, or even a newpaper (of a few pages).
Today, the police can round up the press as terrorists. They can silence anybody. They can take away cameras and beat, rob, and cage the cameraman. The police can conceal their identities to prevent prosecution. They are literally above the law.
But the cops are having a hard time with the blogosphere, since, against that, the cops are badly outnumbered and outwitted.
The only truly free press we have today is on the Internet -- as news sites, blogs, and email.