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History See other History Articles Title: Freedom of the Press…Freedom to Oppress? By John B. Connally The following are excerpts of an address given at the Press Club of Houston, Texas on March 22, 1977. Today’s “free press” is a far cry from the fragile, almost endangered species whose perpetuations were guaranteed by the precious safeguards of our Constitution. Indeed, one of the main concerns of those far-sighted men was to provide for the physical protection of those primitive yet powerful printing presses which gave life to the hopes and dreams of a single free spirit, who was writer, editor, type-setter and publisher. The sanctity of the printed expression of thought was indeed vital. But contrast that struggling, vulnerable voice of those early days with the awesome power of today’s New York Times, today’s Washington Post, today’s NBC, CBS, or ABC, and today’s Time and Newsweek. Few would contend that any of those seven are shrinking violets or endangered species. Rather, they should be viewed for what they are: massive business empires built by entrepreneurs under the shelter of our free economic system. They are among the most profitable business enterprises in America. They are corporate giants on a par, in terms of profit, with the major companies that manufacture automobiles and appliances, produce our steel, mine and refine our oil and gas and other resources, and market the multitude of products for American consumers. So let us get into clear focus that the news industry is big business – as big as any in America, including some industries that a lot of people think need to be broken up. The truth is that our nation’s institution of “The Press” is a giant financial and influential power equivalent to the presidency, the Congress or the Supreme Court. It has been said that the press constitutes the fourth branch of government; it may be more accurate to say that it constitutes the fourth member of our institutional giants, which are big government, big business, big labor and big media. Anyone familiar with publishing and broadcasting recognizes the trend toward concentration of influence in a few hands. It is plainly evident in the growth of the newspaper chains and the corresponding decline in news markets. There is no need to belabor the power of the three television networks. The influence of their news departments is so immense at this period in our history that I venture to guess that every person here has at least some concern about it. Walter Cronkite is much more than one of the most admired men in America. He is also one of the most powerful. Cronkite and other major media personalities talk to more people in more places every day than any other individual in the entire world in the entire history of mankind. Any one of them has more influence on the public than the speaker of the house, the majority leaders and the minority leaders of both house of Congress combined. This would be true no matter who the news anchormen were or who the congressional leaders were. The names are not the point. Throughout American history there have been abuses of power in all branches of government and in business and labor. Mechanisms exist in our political system to deal with these abuses. No real mechanism of this kind exists for checking possible abuse by the media except the reasonable attitude and self-discipline of those in the media. I assure you that anyone who feels he has been wronged by the press has never found a way to have the last word with a newspaper or a television camera. We recognize the ageless value of freedom of the press. We should also concede that this freedom carries with it the dangerous freedom to oppress. The Free Press is part of the great heritage of America. I believe it should – and I think it will – meet its obligation to help preserve this system of freedom in which it has played such a prominent role over two centuries of American life.
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