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What Does the Future Hold for Free Speech in the United States?
A cornerstone of the great American democratic experiment is under new strain.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way — in short, the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” — Charles Dickens
When Dickens penned his immortal opening line of A Tale of Two Cities, he wasn’t talking about the state of corporate media outlets in America — but he might have been.
On one hand, independent journalists and publishers have more opportunities than ever; on the other hand, the state of corporate-owned media conglomerates has become lamentable in recent years.
In the grand mosaic of American democracy, the First Amendment stands as one of its most cherished and essential elements. Enshrined in the Bill of Rights, it guarantees the freedom of speech, a fundamental…