Claims

These are the claims each class identified from the text. Spend a bit of time thinking about these in terms of the article and in general in terms of our society. Be prepared to discuss, even if you don't usually talk.

Period 2

• Self-governance is more essential than governance itself. (par. 5)
• The press is a serious entity and should focus on real life, not fantasy.
• The public needs hard information in order to self-govern.
• The need to make money sometimes leads the media to sacrifice truth for what their audience wants to hear.
• The American press has often been powerful and sometimes feared.
• The marketplace can be the ally rather than the enemy of a strong, free media.

Period 3

• Self-governance is more essential than governance itself. (Value)
• The press should be a serious member of the media family. (Policy)
• The need for public news has been a cornerstone of America’s system almost from the start. (Fact)
• Abraham Lincoln articulated this content most succinctly (value) when he said, “Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe.”  (Policy)
• The issue of whether a free press is the best communications solution in a democracy is much too important at the close of this century (fact) and needs to be examined dispassionately. (Policy)
• The choices (media choices) may be larger, but a case can be made that they are not deeper. (Value)
• For the public to believe the press, their product must be credible. (Value) (Fact)