Miami Division: Duties & Responsibilities of a Free Press

We would almost all agree that the freedom of the press is an integral part of a free people. The media must be free to report on anything that is or could be important to the public. A free press requires the freedom to choose what not to publish; what is NOT in the best interest of the citizens it serves. Reporting terrorist activity is important, knowing the names of the perpetrators is less important. Covering a crime live for many hours is no longer news but is often entertainment. Television “news” now is primarily made up of items that entertain the public. The core news value has long since been served. The media now ought to exercise discretion in covering an event that no longer is news. We will see copy cat crimes being committed because those people who are influenced by what they see on TV often cannot discriminate between the news and entertainment. Those people responsible for content must show better judgement and serve the people they purport to serve by not allowing themselves to be driven by market share to pretend entertainment is news; it is NOT.