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Free Press Quotes

Words in defense of a free press.

These quotes treat a free press as democracy's cornerstone, not an abstraction, an institution worth defending in the words of journalists and public figures who did exactly that. See our Democracy quotes for more.

Flaws and all, I believe the free press is our country's most important institution - one I am more than happy to defend. One I did, in fact, defend for 37 years.

Quotes by William H. McRaven

I'm very much in support of the free press, but the free press ought to be educational and informative. And I believe they have fallen down recently on that.

Quotes by Samuel Dash

The ability of the press to print their stories without the government trying to get them to betray their sources is as essential to a free press as the ink it is printed with. Otherwise, who will hold accountable those...

Quotes by Rod Lurie

So this guy, Jeff Johnson, who is an accountant who cares nothing at all about a free press and cares nothing about journalism, he's a right winger who supported the war, you know, who two years ago told people he...

Quotes by Robert Scheer

Ability Quotes

The press doesn't stop publishing, by the way, in a fascist escalation; it simply watches what it says. That too can be an incremental process, and the pace at which the free press polices itself depends on how journalists are...

Quotes by Naomi Wolf

I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press - that's the cornerstone.

Quotes by Milos Forman

The president is supposed to stand up for the First Amendment and stand up for the free press - not put us through the meat grinder.

Quotes by Jim Acosta

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.

Quotes by Hugo Black

The Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to bare the secrets of government and inform the people.

Quotes by Hugo Black

Bad Quotes

The second is the damage to the credibility and independence of a free press which may be caused by covert relationships with the U.S. journalists and media organizations.

Quotes by Frank Church

One of the unsung freedoms that go with a free press is the freedom not to read it.

Quotes by Ferdinand Mount

What I'm thinking about more and more these days is simply the importance of transparency, and Jefferson's saying that he'd rather have a free press without a government than a government without a free press.

Quotes by Esther Dyson

When the public's right to know is threatened, and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered.

Quotes by Christopher Dodd

A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad.

Albert Camus

Frequently Asked Questions

What ties these free press quotes together?
Each one frames a free press as an institution worth protecting rather than a talking point, several explicitly call it democracy's cornerstone, echoing the theme in our Democracy quotes.
Why do people search for free press quotes?
They're often looking for language that defends journalism's role during moments when press freedom feels contested, whether for a speech, an essay, or just to put words to something they already believe.
What do these quotes say about press self-censorship?
One quote makes the point that a pressured press rarely stops publishing outright, instead it starts quietly softening what it says, a slower and less visible erosion than an outright shutdown.
Do these quotes take a side politically?
They're drawn from people across different roles, reporters, editors, elected officials, arguing for the same underlying principle: that press freedom belongs to the public, not to whichever side is in power.
What's a good use for free press quotes?
They work well in writing about journalism, civic education, or free-speech topics, and pair naturally with quotes on Believe and conviction when the point is defending something you value.

From newsroom veterans to op-ed writers, each quote stakes a different claim for press freedom: political, constitutional, personal. If you Believe institutions are worth defending, start here.