English 1111
Dr. Dell
12 October 2004
We Need the Press
1) Perhaps the one freedom that most assures America that it will keep its freedom is the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution [7a] [1a]. Without this freedom [4b], we [5b] would have no independent body watching the government, no way of insuring that we [5b] hear both sides in a democratic election, and no way of being informed enough about what the government is doing to voice our [5b] own support or opposition to that governmental activity [1b].
2) All governments need an independent [4b] watchdog to keep track of what the government is doing. America is fortunate to have this watchdog [4b] in the form of the press [2b]. For example [4a], if there were no freedom of the press, we [5b] Americans may never have found out about Watergate [3a] and would have been at the mercy of a government that had no qualms about breaking the law [3b]. Thank God for Woodward and Bernstein. It was also [4a] the press that broke the story about corruption in the Pentagon in the 1980s [3a]. Without this watchdog [4b], we [5b] would still be paying for $400 hammers and $800 [8b] coffeepots. We need the press to safeguard not only our laws, but also our pocketbooks [3b].
3) The press is also [4a] necessary in a democracy to insure that the public gets to hear both sides of an issue. [2a] To see the benefit of such bipartisan information [4b], we [5b]can look to Iran where the press is controlled by the ruling Islamic government. In the elections since the takeover of the government by Islamic fundamentalists, the party in power has controlled the press and, thus, controlled elections. Because competing candidates do not have equal access to the press, their stands on the issues are not presented to the voting public; consequently, the opposition can rarely come to power and a true democracy cannot exist [3b].
4) Having equal access [4b] to the public through the press means that there always is the possibility of the opposition winning an election, a fact that can cause a government presently in power to be more honest with its voters [2a]. If there is no free press to present the other side of an issue, the government doesn't have to worry about either the opposition or being honest [3b]. The last presidential election in the United States [3a] can be used to illustrate this point. Every major television network and every major newspaper and magazine that sells political advertising must grant equal opportunity to the other candidates as well as the incumbents. In Iran, we [5b] would have only heard from Al Gore; in America, we [5b] heard from Gore, George W. Bush, and Ralph Nader. As a result [4a], we had the closest election in American history because voters were allowed to hear all three candidates and thus distributed their votes among them [3b].
5) The previous issues [4b] are important for having a free press, but perhaps the most important issue is that we [5b] Americans have a trustworthy source of information. A free press is not propagandistic[2b]. If the government does something wrong, the press reports on it [3b], America made many mistakes in Vietnam [3a]; without the press, we [5b]may still be there continuing to make the same mistakes and continuing to lose American soldiers. It was the press that showed America that the war was going badly in Vietnam, that we [5b] weren't winning, nor could we [5b] win. Consequently [4a], Americans took to the streets and to the polls and made it clear that the war had to end [3b].
6) Had there been no free press [4b], the war would have been presented much as the Soviet Union presented its side of the war in Afghanistan [3a]‑‑pictures of smiling soldiers waving victory flags over parts of Afghanistan that had never been held by the rebels and over which there had been no fighting [2a)]. The citizens of the Soviet Union were led to believe by the government‑controlled press that all was well on the Afghani front. It was not until the Soviet Union relaxed its controls on the press that the truth came out that the war was being lost and had to be brought to an end. Thus [4a], we can see that a free press can bring peace [3b].
7) On September 11, 2001, the United States itself was attacked, and the press was there as they have been in the conflict in Afghanistan. Our [5b] country is not perfect. Our [5b] citizens and soldiers are as capable of making bad choices as are the citizens and military of other countries. However, we [5b] have the press with the military to keep the public informed about injustices, [2c] such as the abuses in the Iraqi prisons or the attacks on Afghani citizens mistaken for Taliban or al Qaida members [3a]. Those press reports are causing investigations into the military, and therefore [4a] our [5b] military is less likely to repeat those mistakes and not [7a] earn the dreadful reputation that armies in such countries as Serbia have earned because those countries do not have an active, watchdog press [3b].
8) When the citizens of a country are presented with the truth, they will usually act wisely on that truth. We [5b] did in Vietnam, we [5b] did in Watergate, we [5b] are in Afghanistan, and we [5b] will continue do so‑‑as long as we [5b] have a free press. Christ said in the New Testament, "The truth shall make you [5c] free." As long as we [5b] maintain a free press, we [5b] will continue to have the truth and we [5b] will continue to be free. [6]
Comments
1. Introduction and thesis statement:
a) In the Erickson essay, he has introduced his thesis with a general statement about how the freedom of the press compares to all the other amendments. As is necessary, he gives the full title of the amendment and its location when he first mentions it.
b) His thesis is broken into parts that state the reasons why he believes that the freedom of the press is most important. Such a thesis is a good idea because it keeps the writer and the reader on track and organized. Notice how the last part‑‑or reason‑‑is the most involved reason and the strongest reason for saying that the freedom of the press is the most important amendment. Return to paragraph 1.
2. In developing the thesis, make sure that each paragraph has a topic sentence that makes a point about the thesis.
a) Notice that the Erickson essay uses topic sentences that refer to the part of the thesis that the particular paragraph is developing. A tactic in making such a reference is to use key words, such as government, democracy, etc., in the topic sentence.
b) Remember that a topic sentence in effect may consist of two sentences.
c) The topic sentence does not have to be the first sentence of a paragraph; it may come in the middle of the paragraph or even at the end.
3. The body of each paragraph contains two elements: examples and explanation.
a) Illustrate each point with examples. Erickson gives examples of how the press has been a watchdog‑‑Watergate and the Pentagon; how a country's control of the press controls an election--Iran; how a free press works in American elections; and how a free press report government failures as well as successes.
b) Once you give the examples, then explain how the examples connect to the point you are making in the paragraph. Don't have the readers make the connection; give the connection yourself. For example, in the third paragraph, Erickson explains how a free press presents two sides to an issue to prevent one side from dominating a government. The paragraph uses the example of Iran where there is no free press and, thus, no free election. The fourth paragraph follows that example with an extended explanation of how the press allows free elections in America by allowing voters to hear from all candidates. Because he wants to emphasize American elections, he paragraphs to set that example apart from the example of Iran.
Return to paragraph 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
4. Be sure to use transitions so that the reader can see how sentences and paragraphs connect.
a) For example, notice how often Erickson uses too, also, as a result, however, and therefore as transitions to link sentences to sentences, paragraphs to paragraphs, and points to points. All of these words are transitions.
b) Also Erickson repeats key words from the thesis several times or in different forms. Repetition also is a transition, so long as it is done carefully.
5. Pronouns are also transitions, but you must be very careful.
a) They, their, them are plural pronouns; be sure that the nouns that they refer to are plural. Never say, "A person should watch their political freedom." Say, "People should watch their political freedoms." Be sure that your pronouns have references (nouns that they replace) and agree in number (Use singular pronouns with singular nouns and plural pronouns with plural nouns).
b) However, use pronouns because they do provide transitions. In this essay, Erickson uses first person plural pronouns--we, us, our--throughout the paper since he is an American writing to American readers
c. The second person pronoun is acceptable here because it occurs within a direct quotation.
6. Your conclusion should summarize your main arguments. Notice how Erickson doesn't repeat his thesis, but he does remind readers that the freedom of the press is a guarantee of truth in instances he developed in the body of the essay. The use of the Biblical quotation emphasizes how important his arguments are because few people argue with the Bible.
Return to paragraph 8.
7. Mechanics
a) Capitalize titles of documents, such as First Amendment and Constitution.
b) When writing specific monetary amounts, use numerals and the appropriate monetary symbol.
Use italics to emphasize words or to mark foreign words or words used as words.
Return to OWL, Writing the Essay