The invention of the Internet is forcing newsmakers and newsreaders to adjust to a new world of journalism that is no longer confined to paper pages and printing presses.
Internet journalism has created a new online autonomy where financial and educational barriers no longer exist, and free reign is given to anyone and everyone who desires to participate in the global village.
Writer and great press critic A.J. Liebling (1904-1963) once said that “freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” Liebling proposed this idea in regards to newspapers and magazines more than 40 years ago when freedom of the press was much more limited. But, with time, Liebling’s quip has only become more applicable and more true as the Internet has made freedom of the press easier than ever.
Freedom of the press no longer means investing thousands and thousands of dollars into a printing press so as to obtain the first amendment liberty. The only place I would disagree with Liebling in his idea is that freedom of the press can now exist for little to no money, simply by investing in a personal computer or by taking advantage of free computer access at a library. Now freedom of the press exists not only to those who own one, but to those who simply have access to one, as well.
In addition to financial restrictions being removed, educational barriers that once existed have now been lifted, as well. The growing convenience of the Internet now makes it easier than ever for anyone to be a public informant or to be informed by the public. In unrestricted arenas such as blogs and online journals, freedom of the press exists for all educational backgrounds, regardless of degree or experience (or, rather, a lack thereof).
In his 1998 speech with the National Press Club, Matt Drudge was met by a roomful of reporters and writers who did not consider him a journalist based on his “lack of training or education in journalism.” Despite the opposition he faced, Drudge realized 11 years ago the absolute freedom of participation that Internet journalism offered, and envisioned “a future where there’ll be 300 million reporters, where anyone from anywhere can report for any reason.” He also went on to say something oddly similar to that of Liebling, that “freedom of the press belongs to anyone who owns one.”
Healthcare worker and blogger Kevin Carson agrees in his defense of internet journalism, that “freedom of the press is great, as long as you own a press. But guess what? Now more than half the households in America do own a press.”
What Liebling said 50 years ago is as true as what Carson said 10 months ago. The only difference is not that freedom of the press itself has changed, but that its audience has changed. As time goes on, freedom of the press continues to become easier and more accessible, giving more and more people the liberty that was once only guaranteed to a few.