“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the 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.”

This is the first amendment in our Bill of Rights that was added to the Constitution. These ideals were the first ideas that our Founding Fathers decided to protect in the most permanent way possible.

However, not all Founding Fathers think alike. Taking these rights for granted is a dangerous thing for our country to do. We should be helping other countries to gain freedom’s we already enjoy.

Freedom of the Press is a right that has served our country well throughout the years. From Watergate to Trump’s twitter scandals, journalists in America have fought for the little guy against all odds.

I am a person that has enjoyed exercising my freedom of the press. Because I write for the school newspaper, I utilize this freedom practically every day through writing. And the best part is, I live in America.  Therefore, as long as I do my research and tell the truth, I never have to worry about going to jail for something I say.

This idea also means there is equal access to many kinds of journalistic writing. Anyone has the freedom to go to any news website or channel they want, whether it is FOX, CNN, or CBS. Everyone can have their own interpretations of what goes on in our country and that is a beautiful thing.

America is blessed that this idea is  protected by our founding principles. However, we should keep in mind how rare this protection of journalists is.

According to The Freedom House, even in 2017 only 13% of the world enjoys a journalistic environment in which the safety of the journalists is ensured and there is minimal governmental interference.

This is a basic right that is an imperative part of any ethical, functional government, and yet, only 13% of the world has them. That number should be much higher than that.

The Committee to Protect Journalism is a non-profit organization that works to defend the rights of journalists and promote freedom of the press worldwide.

They wrote a report on North Korea’s press as one of the most censored countries in the world. The government’s control of the news generates extremely warped versions of the events reported.

“The official Korean Central News Agency said that leader Kim Jong Il is so beloved that after a deadly munitions train explosion in a populated area, people ran into buildings to save the ubiquitous portraits of the “Dear Leader” before they rescued their own family members,” the CPJ said.

Our journalistic freedom is taken for granted in America despite our crucial role it plays in safeguarding the people. Because of it, we can end up turning a blind eye to other countries without these privileges.

While we enjoy the blessings that were given to us, we can’t remain preoccupied with only what is happening in our own country. Instead, we must not waste the opportunity that we have to spread freedom to others.