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Started By
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About Thomas Jefferson and the Press
Posted on 2/18/17 at 8:49 pm
Posted on 2/18/17 at 8:49 pm
Today, in lieu of John McCain's remarks about Trump, a lot of talking heads have been quoting Jefferson's opinion of the necessity of a free press. They are referring to this quote:
However, what they haven't mentioned is Jefferson also said this:
Just Saying...
quote:
"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them." --Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787. ME 6:57
However, what they haven't mentioned is Jefferson also said this:
quote:
"The most effectual engines for pacifying a nation are the public papers... A despotic government always keeps a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, invent and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers. This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson to G. K. van Hogendorp, Oct. 13, 1785. (*) ME 5:181, Papers 8:632
Just Saying...
5
Posted on 2/18/17 at 8:52 pm to AUstar
Liberals see free press as "free to write whatever tripe they choose".
Conservatives agree, and also see the freedom to call out the tripe when they see it. Freedom is not limited to the press.
Conservatives agree, and also see the freedom to call out the tripe when they see it. Freedom is not limited to the press.
This post was edited on 2/18/17 at 9:04 pm
Posted on 2/18/17 at 8:53 pm to AUstar
They also fail to mention ole TJ was pussy grabber too
Posted on 2/18/17 at 8:55 pm to AUstar
I thought the left hated Jefferson.
Posted on 2/18/17 at 8:56 pm to AUstar
quote:
This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson to G. K. van Hogendorp, Oct. 13, 1785. (*) ME 5:181, Papers 8:632
But the public, like never before in history, have the means of distinguishing the false from the true, if they are diligent in finding the truth today. The variety of sources of information are greater than ever. People just have to be able to distinguish between the good and the bad sources and do their best to govern their own biases.
Posted on 2/18/17 at 9:25 pm to AUstar
He also once said a man who reads nothing is better informed than a man who reads nothing but newspapers.
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