The Transhistoric Relationship Between the Press, the Government, and the Public

The government is inarguably the most powerful thing in America. Nothing or no one is above the government, which some argue, is America's biggest issue. The government, though, has had one big roadblock for centuries: the press. Since the beginning of government, the press has been a prominent resource to not only promote ideas of the government but also to call them out for wrongdoing or disinformation. This idea is transhistoric,  and has spread throughout multiple historical periods. 

Defining the relationship between the press and government is much more than what meets the eye, though. It is more than black and white, or this and that. The transhistoric relationship is extremely difficult to understand, however, it is something that must be acknowledged and analyzed.

"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".  

The above quote is the first amendment of the United States Constitution. This helps to answer the question: "Why does the press hold so much power over the government though"?  First, and most obviously, the first amendment grants freedom of the press. This means the press has every right to create stories and break news, whether it be about something small or something as large as governmental information. 

In New York Times Co. v. United States, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black said, "The press was to serve the governed, not the governors". This is a powerful quote coming from one of the most powerful men in the country at that time. Many people believed that the press was altered to benefit that of the government, and some even believe this today.

The press is a lot less trustworthy than it used to be, due to the inclusion of things such as yellow journalism, muckraking, fake news, and overall bias and disinformation. The ideas that we have discussed over this course of this class have been revelational and have truly outlined why the press can often be viewed as untrustworthy, especially when discussing issues that revolve around the government. 

This relationship between the press and the government has also been complex for so long due to the fact that many believe that the press works for the government rather than for the the people under the government. 

Within Glen Greenwald's article, he discusses the relationship between the media and the government, specifically focusing on military situations. Greenwald says "The U.S. media was somehow more militaristic and blindly trusting about this CIA story than even this pro-war union of lawmakers. That the CIA’s leaked claim to The New York Times should even be questioned at all — given that it was leaked anonymously and was accompanied by exactly zero evidence — is not something that even crossed their journalistic minds" (Greenwald).

To exemplify this distrust, many believe that big news stations such as CNN or FOX promote false or misleading information, and don't cover governmental issues that should be brought to light. These big networks push aside government issues and don't announce it to citizens in order to protect government decisions and reduce nationwide fear.

Although it has become more distinct over time and the transhistoric relationship between the press and the government has always been rocky. The public has no choice but to doubt the information being put out by the press, especially when it revolves around government situations. There are rumors spread to the citizens and bias is promoted through mainstream reporting, and many believe that this is caused by the relationship between the government and popular mainstream media.