Four freedoms media should enjoy

This is a gray area. Although media workers claim this freedom (free from government interference) the Pentagon Papers present one example of censorship. (The Pentagon Papers) and more on the Pentagon Papers from the National Security Archive.

Freedom to criticize government and those who run it

This is a clear freedom. Media have free rein when discussing the lives of politicians. Is this appropriate? Do officials give up all their privacy when entering public life? Click here to find out.

Freedom to withhold confidential sources

This is a gray area. Although media workers may say they do not have to reveal their sources and they are protected by a Shield Law, it does not always work that way. A judge may hold reporters in contempt of court for refusing to reveal sources. (Myron Farber of the New York Times was jailed for 40 days for contempt. See list of other reporters jailed for contempt.)

Does Texas have a Shield Law? Click here to find out.

Who is Judith Miller and why is she in jail?

Read the New York Times editorial.

Freedom to exercise independent editorial judgment

This is a clear freedom, primarily for newspapers. The Supreme Court held in the Miami Herald v. Tornillo that the newspaper editor does not have to give over space in the editorial column for anyone other than editorial writers. The Court ruled unanimously that equal space and mandatory response laws are a clear violation of the First Amendment when applied to the print media.