It is hardly more than a platitude to say that the press has always played an important role in the political process. This role is, after all, a primary reason freedom of the press has been thought a necessary safeguard in a democratic society. But never before has the press been as critical to the political process as it is today, and never before has its importance been so widely and publicly recognized. Each election year renders these truths more self-evident.

The increased importance of the press in the political process brings out an ambiguity in its role. Traditionally, the press has been conceived as an observer – ideally, a neutral observer – of the political scene. On this view, the press is part of the political process but it is also not part; it stands outside. But events of the last few decades have demonstrated the inadequacy of this view. The press today – the mass media in particular – is one of the primary actors on the political scene, capable of making or breaking political careers and issues.

The seeming undeniability of the idea that the media are agents in the political process and not simply observers of it provides one important reason for rethinking the traditional prerogatives and responsibilities of the press. Is regulation of the press justified? In the American system, at least, the First Amendment grants the press a privileged place: “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, … or of the press.”