The Importance of the 5th Value of Free Expression

5. Check on Governmental Power (watchdog role)           

 As Watergate, Irangate, Clintongate and all the other “gates” demonstrate, freedom of the press enables citizens to learn about abuses of power – and then do something about the abuse at the ballot box if they feel so moved. We, along with the press, are part of the check-and-balance system to restrain government power and abuse of power.  

I am a huge believer in this value of free expression because I believe that everyone should be involved with their government, in order to keep them in check. Our government has a lot of power and if no one is doing anything to keep them from taking advantage of that then things can go horribly wrong. That’s why I could argue that this rule is more important than any other on this list because with unwielded power, the government could take away our right to free expression all together. Now, that is a bit extreme, however, I believe this one is still one of the most important.
I mean come on, of course I do, I’m a political science minor and a communications major, meaning I believe in civil conversation about government actions more than most 20-something-year-olds. I love when my friends get excited about politics; I mean some may call it yelling, but I call it excitement. I think that every young person should be passionate about what they believe is right or wrong, which a lot of them are because we always think we’re right. The important part of having those strong beliefs is also listening to others’ beliefs, having the facts to back up your opinions, and being able to agree to disagree at the end of the day. 

I digress, the point I am trying to make here is we’re never going to all agree on the same thing, and who would want us to. But the one thing everyone can agree on in politics is that they want to know what is going on. That’s why everyone reads the news every morning isn’t it? Why we watch our favorite nightly news network every evening? We, as human beings, are naturally curious creatures. We want to know what’s going on in the world around us and how it may affect us personally and that is why this freedom of expression exists.