"Free Media" Essay by Skye Ronald a Top Three Pick

"Free Media," by Skye Ronald of Stockton High School was a top three finisher in the Southwest Missouri PRO Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists annual First Amendment Essay Contest for 2007. Here is the text of her winning entry:

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that all citizens have the freedom of press. This right is important for many reasons and has never changed. This right gives the media the ability to say to the public the stories that tell what has been going on around the world. All citizens of the United States have the right to speak their mind and share stories through news media. News media is the way of life for U.S. citizens. With this they have a way of knowing facts about government and stories happening all around them.

The media provides a variety of opinions. During the vote for stem cell research some newspapers included articles that were for the research, while others came out with articles against the research. It is important to have more than one news outlet so that more than one opinion on a subject is available. People need to see more than one side of a story.

Another good reason for the freedom of media is the fact that people can have an opportunity to see what’s going on around them and within their country. It is important to be able to know facts about everything from outbreaks in disease to kidnapping to simply knowing the weather. For example, lately there was a big issue about salmonella in Peter Pan peanut butter. Without the ability for the media to freely tell us that story, many people would have not been able to know about this illness originating from peanut butter. Lost children’s pictures are posted as soon as the family is able to get out the information that they had been kidnapped. Without the freedom to post these pictures of the child, a kidnapper could get away with a crime. Recent posting of information helped catch a criminal in the St. Louis area. And though it may be small talk, people always are interested in what the weather will be like, and even more so in times of severe storms.

So from the everyday to the national, news media are important.

So is Skye correct? Give us your feedback.