FREEDOM OF SPEECH LINKED TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, says that "Congress shall make no law....abridging (limiting) the freedom of speech, or of the press..." Freedom of speech is the liberty to speak openly without fear of government restraint. It is closely linked to freedom of the press because this freedom includes both the right to speak and the right to be heard. In the United States, both the freedom of speech and freedom of press are commonly called freedom of expression.

• Five freedoms outlined in the First Amendment are: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assembly and the right to petition

Why freedom of the press is more important now than ever

• Freedom of press is part of freedom of expression.
• News Media is a powerful guardian of proper political behavior because audiences tend to trust the press, who they believe should inform them about government wrongdoing.
• The media can influence, persuade and pressurize society and manipulate

Press freedom globally has declined to its lowest levels in 15 years. 

• Forty-five percent of the population lives in countries where the media environment is Not Free.
• Only 13 percent of the world’s population enjoys a Free press

Social media such as Facebook, is an important source of fake news:

• There is fake news written for profit and then shared on social media among targeted groups of people. Fake news is misleading at best and untrue at worst.
• The most read fake news stories got more shares, reactions and comments on Facebook than news produced by New York Times, CNN and LA Times

The United States remains one of the most press-friendly countries in the world:

• NRIpress enjoys lively, aggressive, and diverse media, and some of the strongest legal protections for reporting and expression in NRI news media worldwide. 
• NRIs take great pride in their press freedom. But the truth is, it’s under attack in North America and India.
• This trend goes beyond the current leaders branding credible news outlets as “fake news” and threatening journalists.