"In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the
protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our
democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.
The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the
press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press
was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and
inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively
expose deception in government. And paramount among the
responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of
the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to
distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell."
Justice Black. NYT v. US. 403 US 713
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