Freedom of the Press

Roughly outlined, in the founding of the USA were two competing ideas, personified by Hamilton and Jackson.  Hamilton was for big government, elitism, empire, industry; Jefferson was for light government, individual freedom, small business egalitarianism.  People observer we in USA talk Jeffersonian, but act Hamiltonian. Neither quite lived up to his own ideals, and Vice President Aaron Burr killed Hamilton in a duel, which may have given Hamilton an edge in the popular mind.

Jefferson was adamantly opposed to the European system of intellectual property, and rationalized a better way for USA.  Instead of the European system of first to patent, the USA law would be the inventor automatically earns the patent.  Jefferson's skeptical associates voted him the first US Patent examiner.  Jefferson's mistake is with us today.

Publishing in USA got an early Hamiltonian push.  First, elected federal officials do not pay for postage on their "messages from your elected official (aka campaign material)," your tax dollars pays for it.  This gives an incumbent a decided edge.  Second, law notices are required to be published in newspapers, and periodicals are sent via USA mail at wildly subsidized rates.  With advertising dollars and distribution costs both provided by government, publishers tended to be affectionate of the hand that feeds them.

Over time publishers found themselves exempt from child labor laws, anti-trust laws, given ink and paper subsidies, editorial content subsidized, and raw advocacy advertising provided by government agencies at top rates, and exemption from traffic and moving violation laws (newsbox delivery vans can double park with impunity, the vans have doors removed, and the riders are not obliged to wear seat belts.)  there is more but you get the picture.  It is hard to be independent when you depend on the very people you are supposed to keep in check.  The result of course is dying newspapers.

Freedom of the press is freedom from as well as freedom to.  Yes,  freedom to write what you like, and freedom from interference, but also freedom from the kind of manipulation that the press experiences today, the worst sort: distorting subsidies.

All publishers in USA enjoy some sort of taxpayer-proffered subsidy. If you are reading this in a book no doubt it was shipped in a heavily subsidized manner.  We will not have a truly free press until the subsidies are ended.