Speech isn't always free

Maria Denny

md964019@ohio.edu

Photo by Pixy

A political race is brewing in your Communist country, North Korea. When trying to reason with yourself whether or not to support Kim Jong-un and his motives, you often find yourself sitting in front of a search engine. As you type in his name with curiosity, you come across a startling amount of optimistic articles and zero showing any criticism or negativity. 

With politics comes criticism, whether Joe Biden or the local mayor, journalists who voice their criticism are noted to have been beaten, tortured, or killed due to these thoughts in this specific region of the world. Due to the extreme filtration of the media, one may never know if any of it is true, as there's no way to verify it independently. 

Overseas in Democratic America, it is November 2020 — election time. You are a moderate but lean liberal. You are curious about the upcoming presidential election that you are graced with the opportunity to have a say in despite it being political. So you hop on Google to search the name, Donald Trump. Alas, you are instantly embraced with articles from CNN, FOX, The New York Times, and billions of other results. 

The good, bad, and indifferent are shown. From opinion pieces to informative news briefs, an array of articles are present. You were not given headlining articles about Trump scoring three-under-par in his recent game of golf at his million-dollar resorts. Instead, things like published significant investigations, the pointing out of politicians' lies, and, in many cases, the facts of what happened leading up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol would be given to you. All sides of the spectrum are voiced as you can then decipher, for the most part, what kind of a person you are contemplating voting for yourself. That is Democracy, freedom, and how journalism should be. 

Yes, Democracy is imperfect and laced with flaws due to a lack of filtration and misunderstandings of 'journalists.' However, being in America where having the First Amendment behind them is something that journalists across the globe have a dream for a long time. They are free to explore different sides of the story, allowing readers to choose from more sources. Each year, millions of individuals flee to the U.S. to pursue the right to freedom, something American citizens often take for granted. The liberty to express oneself and decipher the truth is vital to society. 

Despite the criticism American journalists often face, it's the best place for a journalist to be.