SEAM
24th December 2011, 14:39
Former President John F. Kennedy on why the press is the only business in America to be protected by the Constitution during a speech to the American Newspaper Publishers Association in 1961:
"Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed — and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy.
And that is why our press was protected by the (VERY) FIRST Amendment — the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution — not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants" — but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion."
"If mankind cannot put an end to War, War will put an end to Mankind" - JFK
"War is Over, if You Want It" - JWL
"An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it" - O. Battista
"Everyones a pacifist between Wars, it's like being a vegetarian between meals" - Colman McCarthy
"The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations." - David Friedman
"I DREAM OF GIVING BIRTH TO A CHILD WHO WILL ASK, "MOM, WHAT WAS WAR?" - Eve Merriam
"Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed — and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy.
And that is why our press was protected by the (VERY) FIRST Amendment — the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution — not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants" — but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion."
"If mankind cannot put an end to War, War will put an end to Mankind" - JFK
"War is Over, if You Want It" - JWL
"An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it" - O. Battista
"Everyones a pacifist between Wars, it's like being a vegetarian between meals" - Colman McCarthy
"The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations." - David Friedman
"I DREAM OF GIVING BIRTH TO A CHILD WHO WILL ASK, "MOM, WHAT WAS WAR?" - Eve Merriam