Save the World Saturday: A Free and Independent Press

As we stuff ourselves on hot dogs and watch the fireworks displays this weekend, I hope that we will also take a moment to really appreciate what this extra-long weekend is really all about: freedom. We are governed by officials who are answerable to us - either directly or indirectly. If we take the time to do so (and we probably all should more than we do), our government and its operations are largely open to us with the exception of information that falls under the heading of national security, and there are dogged journalists who will continually push at the edges of that umbrella to ensure that only the things that really need to be kept secret remain that way.
Democracy Now! is one of those journalist organizations, and, unlike the news that comes to us from our local television stations, magazines or newspapers, Democracy Now! is not concerned with selling you laundry detergent or the latest new gadget for your cell phone. In fact, this organization accepts no funding from advertisers at all, or, for that matter, from government agencies, or corporate underwriters.
Democracy Now! is an example of a truly free press. However, that is free in the sense that they are not beholden to a government agency or a corporation that might want to suppress a story someday; it is not free in the sense that it doesn't cost anything to keep the news flowing.
That's where we, the people, come into the equation. The responsibility for the people's right to know falls largely to the people .