Tuesday, February 28, 2006
DAY COMES TO PASS
From beyond the grave, former president of The Washington Post Company and liberal icon Katharine Graham offers sound journalistic advice:
I believe the benefits of full disclosure far outweigh any possible adverse consequences. I believe the harm of restricting coverage far surpasses the evils of broadcasting even erroneous or damaging information.
American democracy rests on the belief, which the centuries have proven true, that people can and do make intelligent decisions about great issues if they have the facts ...
It is a slippery slope when the media start to act on behalf of any interest, no matter how worthy—when editors decide what to print on the basis of what they believe is good for people to know. It’s dangerous if we are asked to become a kind of super-political agency ...
I say this: News is the lifeblood of liberty. If the terrorists succeed in depriving us of freedom, their victory will be far greater than they ever hoped and far worse than we ever feared. Let it never come to pass.
Graham’s speech was delivered in December, 1985. Sounds like she may have been in favour of publishing certain cartoons.