Journalism is one of the most important aspects of our country and society as a whole. There is a reason it is included in the bill of rights, “Freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Right there with freedom of speech, considered the founding principle of America, is freedom of the press. It is, and always will be a pillar in any democracy.

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As I mentioned earlier, coming into college I did not know all that much about journalism. All I wanted to do was pursue my passion for sports. Little did I know, I was in for a real eye opening experience. I learned from my first class, that journalism plays a much larger role in our society than most people think. 

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In my first three years of journalism classes I really learned about the history and foundation of journalism in America. My first piece of evidence comes from one of my earliest journalism classes, foundation of american journalism. One of the assignments was to simply explain how journalism is the lifeblood of a democracy. It was that assignment and that class that really made me realize how important journalism is to our country. 

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My next piece of evidence focuses on not just press freedoms in America, but all around the world. In that same class I wrote a perspective piece written from the view of an international New York Times reporter. In this assignment I explored the press laws of three different countries. This really showed me how fortunate we are in America, but also how freedom of the press is a war that is still raging all over the world.

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My final piece of evidence comes from my journalism law class. Probably the most informative class I have taken pertaining to journalism. I was able to learn what freedom of the press truly means. How it is not a free pass to print or publish whatever thought comes to mind. It allows journalists to report the truth at the lowest levels of government all the way to the oval office, as long as it is truthful. I researched a supreme court case that dealt with the first amendment and free speech. It was Snyder v. Phelps, or better known as the Westboro Baptist Church Case. This case really showed me how complex the first amendment can be and truly the limitations.

 

Overall, in my four years at URI I truly was able to understand not only how important the first amendment is, but how important journalism is. Throughout history journalism has served as society’s watchdog and has been a pillar of our democracy. Journalists have a great deal of responsibility to not only a country's citizens, but to the nation itself. Journalism truly is the lifeblood of a democracy.