Justice Hugo L. BlackJustice Hugo L. Black, (1886-1971) US Supreme Court Justice

Justice Hugo L. Black Quote

“The Press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the 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.”

Justice Hugo L. BlackJustice Hugo L. Black
~ Justice Hugo L. Black

New York Times v. Unites States (Pentagon Papers) 1971

Ratings and Comments


J B Wulff, Bristol, CT

Press is/has morphed into Media and the Media is the massage - with apologies. Our technology is facilitating the destruction of the press as Justice Black saw it. What scares me most is the old method of Napoleon wed to current technology. He quickly submitted his aims to public votes. The people agreed and hailed the new power they held. Then he stopped asking and the rest is history. When will we have our first election via the NET? Sleep well or not at all as you wish

Comnenus
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Comnenus    4/13/10

The Mainstream Media is obviously used to deceives the masses by TPTB and it has worked effectively.

Mike, Norwalk

As to that which would have once been called the 'Press', or a free and unrestrained press, a governmental media complex now sets forth prescribed dogmas, story lines (anything from lies to fear mongering) and warm and fuzzy fables (contrary to law and justice) in favor of an omnipotent statist theocracy's papal (parishioner supported), inclusive of tyrannical cannons.

A.Jurgensen, Stuart, FL

The problem with news journalism today is that reporters want/need access to their subjects and so 'accommodate' them by being less than open about the truth. We are depending more and more on independent investigatory organizations like Wikileaks for truth.

J Carlton, Calgary

Propoganda. We don't get the news of the world, but merely spin. For example the European Union Times a few days ago had an article in which Pres. Sarkozy of France said Obama might well be insane and that he would probably be responsible for the next global war. He said this based on whom Obama is appeasing vs. who he is annoying with his so called foreign policies. Personally I think he's right about "His Hopiness".

cal, lewisville, tx

The purpose of the press is only to inform the public what is happening in the world; however, our liberal press tries to make the news and get us to see the spin their own way.

jim k, Austin

Our liberal press does report some news, but it's main function at this time is to make the current fascist bunch inside the beltway look good, no matter how rotten they are.

Waffler, Smith

It deserves five stars but he also should have warned us to beware that the freedom of the press also means the freedom to lie as long as you do not slander. Take Fox with Bech and Rush and those guys, What a bunch of fraudulent clowns. Fox is a political organization in the guise of "news media". Is somenthing like that any different than a front organization established by Nazi's or communists.

J Carlton, Calgary

Waffler, the same can be said of the Communist News Network and all the others. What's your point?

Waffler, Smith

News media should not have a point of view they should tell facts. Your best bet is NPR's nightly news. Be sure you know when you are watching or listening to facts versus opinions. Some or many, and you know who you, are indisposed to watch just facts, if the facts do not come from some one with your point of view or frame of reference you will not accept them or will discount the facts as being from a different or alien point of view. Develop a Sergeant Friday mentality, 'Just the facts Man, just the facts" and form your own opinins. If you do that you will find that Obamanomics is right on and Al Gore was right on conerning global warming etc. Read news with an open mind to facts and eschew the guys trying to form or dictate opinions and points of view. They are anathema to our way of life.

E Archer, NYC
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E Archer, NYC Waffler, Smith 11/17/20

"News media should not have a point of view they should tell facts."  Hilarious!!  Tell that to CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, AP, Reuters, NYT, WashPo, and yes even NPR.  ALL are in the tank.  It is obvious to anyone who can see with their own eyes what is happening.

Anon
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Anon    4/13/10

There is only one way a media outlet can convince me it is lligitimate. It must speak out against the federal reserve and the world bankers who control it and the world economies to the detriment of all.

E Archer, NYC
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E Archer, NYC Anon 11/17/20

Right!  This explains why 99.9% of Americans don't know about any of this  it is never covered.  Remember that in the game of Monopoly, the banker runs the game, and in the end, all the pieces go back in the box.

J Carlton, Calgary

Waffler you were making some great sense until you got to Obamanomics and Gore. Both of those people are anathema to the American way of life. But you're right about the way people perceive "the News".

Mike, Norwalk

Waffler, I listen to Beck or Limbaugh about as much as I listen to Oberman or Ed. The right spends a lot more time stating facts than does the left. The left spends far more time angrily bad mouthing those that don't agree with them. What are a couple of fraudulent facts that Beck or Limbaugh have stated. I think Beck is just a Neocon stooge but, what has he said that is fraudulent? So your biased, one way prejudicial rhetoric is worse than those you are misrepresenting..

Bette, Newport

Are there still journalists? I was unaware. We have actors and actresses on various 'news' stations, but how do we get news...the truth and unbiased real news? I search and search...........

tyson, austin

It's sad that lots of people don't trust the media now as they are subjective, liberal ,biased and pro-Obama ...

warren, olathe

Wow Waffler talking about fraudulent clowns. He can not begin to come up with anything those people he hates seeks to misinform any one on anything. He thinks that opposition should only be allowed when his party is not in power. It is truth that he fears. Opinion needs to be freely expressed. To condemn Fox for not being leftist propaganda is ludicrous. Waffler is only interested in perpetuating propaganda not ending it. The best way to defeat propaganda is to expose it with truth. If it is allowed to be suppressed it will be inevitable that truth instead will be the victim.

Carol, Estero, FL

The Romans controlled with bread and circuses, now we have welfare and media, nothing has changed. Freedom and Liberty are crushed. Is anyone still awake out there?

Cal, Lewisville, TX

If I could add to the first amendment it would force the press to tell the WHOLE STORY. Not edit in order to persuade the people rather than simply inform them.

Mary-MI
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Mary-MI    11/7/16

Sadly, the conglomerated Press and the bought and paid MSM are no longer protectors of the truth.
They, the Press and the MSM have become the slaughterers of necessary truthful informative in order to practice their evil deceptive manipulations of the knowledge and thinking of the people.

E Archer, NYC

I remember the NYT Pentagon Papers. In those days the Times and Washington Post were far more balanced in their reporting and did a fair bit of investigative journalism. But with time, access to government required toeing the line -- reporters who write stories the President doesn't like will not be allowed at Presidential press conferences or will not be called on for questions.

Waffler truly amazes me. He stands as a warning to all as to what can happen if you expose yourself to public education programs and mainstream media and work for the federal government for your career. He loves his programming, as was integral in the programming. Today, those old programs do not reach the current generation -- so new ones are developed. The study of mass psychology continues, and those that surrender their minds to the boob tube as viewers, become the unwitting tools of the producers.

Hey, I am all for programming -- that's why I pick my OWN programs and books. I know I am being influenced, I know that the producer is trying to lead me somewhere. Like hearing a catchy tune, it isn't long that I'll start humming it to myself. I catch myself all the time acting like an automaton going through the motions habitually rather than from reason. But I return to conscious choice, and remember my own intentions -- and if the TV doesn't jive with them, I change the program.

Mike, Norwalk

What Justice Black calls a press to inform people of government secrets has mostly only existed as a facade. That which has replaced the facade is blatantly an enclave of ecclesiastical missionaries with dogma propagation. The propagation of lies, misdirection, enslavement, theocratic control, dogma increase, criminal activities for the elite, censorship of secrets (anything that would shed light on demonic maliciousness) and a dumbing down of We The People is an extremely terse beginning to a very long list.

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