In defense
of your First Amendment rights
“ The basis of our
government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to
keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a
government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not
hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Thomas Jefferson in a
letter to Col. Edward Carrington (Jan. 16, 1787)
Those of us here at Independent Newsmedia
Inc. USA believe in the First Amendment. Not our First
Amendment rights – but YOUR First Amendment rights. For a democracy to flourish and
survive, its citizens must enjoy the right to free speech and discussion.
Unfortunately, it seems public discussion of
meaningful issues has been made difficult -- if not impossible -- thanks to
partisan politics, personal attacks and inaccurate information.
The result is not healthy for a democracy.
Citizens are wary of getting involved in public issues. They don’t attend
meetings. They don’t educate themselves on the issues facing their communities.
Bad discussions lead to bad decisions made by
governmental bodies. Citizens feel left out and neglected. They turn away from
the democratic process.
That’s not good.
Local news institutions, however, have always
played a key role in nurturing democracy -- and I’m convinced they remain as
important as ever.
Indeed, there is no more important time for
a local newspaper to matter in local communities around the nation.
Scottsdale is no exception.
Our goal -- our mission -- at the Scottsdale
Independent is to provide that service and be that newspaper to residents of
Scottsdale.
Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA, publishers of
the Scottsdale Independent, is a unique publishing and printing company that
supports every American’s First Amendment rights and encourages and assists
citizens in exercising those rights responsibly.
We’ve published a local newspaper in one form
or another in Scottsdale for over three decades. We continue to publish the
monthly Scottsdale Independent, but our focus on fulfilling our journalist
mission has shifted to our website -- scottsdaleindependent.com.
I encourage you to visit the site, sign up
for our daily newsletter and then get involved. Use our site as your platform
to express your First Amendment rights on issues pertaining to your community.
Someone once said “freedom of the press
belongs to the man who owns that press.”
Well, scottsdaleindependent.com is
your press -- your site to join the discussion, share your views and be a part
of the decision-making that impacts your community.
Write a letter. Post a comment in response to
other letters or stories that appear on the site. Email me direct with your
thoughts and opinions.
We at the Scottsdale Independent are dedicated to the idea our profession is explicitly protected by the
First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and with that charge comes great
responsibility --- one we don’t take lightly.
Get involved in your community
A great community deserves a great newspaper.
I want you to tell me and our staff what is going on around you
and what needs to be reported on at scottsdaleindependent.com and in the
Scottsdale Independent newspaper.
Not only are we committed to reporting the news of Scottsdale
fairly and accurately, but we also want our product to reflect the community
and its citizens. We want your news and photos of school events, clubs,
organizations, church activities and more.
If you feel passionate about something, let others know by
running your opinion in our newspaper designed specifically to serve your
needs.
You can email them directly to me at tthornton@newszap.comor you can send
them to our general email, which is received by everyone on our editorial team
at scottsdalenews@newszap.com.
TERRANCE THORNTON
EDITOR
Terrance Thornton is editor of the
Scottsdale Independent and Town of Paradise Valley Independent. He can be
reached at 623-445-2774 or by emailing thornton@newszap.com.
