Two views of the Press

"The first comes from James Madison at the end of the 18th Century. In a republic, he said, where the people not the government possess the absolute sovereignty, the press must be free to inform the people about the merits and measures of public men." The second came from Alexis de Tocqueville: "The hallmark of the American journalist is a direct and coarse attack without any subtleties on the passions of his readers. He disregards principles to seize on people, following them into their private lives and laying bare their weaknesses and their vices,"

From an Anthony Lewis lecture