NO PAPER: How much did you pay for that cup of McDonald’s
coffee? The candy bar you bought for your morning break? Pack of
Marlboros? A tankful of gas? Even the ATM fee for getting cash out
of the machine?[neWLine]
And, what did you pay for your morning newspaper?[neWLine]
We wanted to give you something to think about tomorrow morning
when your Bradford Era isn’t at your doorstep. July 4 is one of two
holidays we take (the other is Christmas) so your next edition will
be Thursday.[neWLine]
Most daily newspapers cost a mere 50 cents and, for $15 a month,
you can get it delivered right to your front door! How does that
compare to your monthly bill for natural gas, electric, TV cable,
water, telephone?[neWLine]
[neWLine]
50 CENTS: What would you miss if you didn’t have a daily
newspaper? Who died, who is in the hospital, how much your taxes
are going up, when and where a rape occurred, what City Council has
in store for Main Street … Not to mention, sports scores, crossword
puzzles, comics, advertising and, of course, Round the
Square.[neWLine]
[neWLine]
TODAY: In the bigger picture, newspapers also serve a vital
function in our democracy. It is Independence Day when we celebrate
the wisdom and courage of our founding fathers who not only broke
away from England but crafted a government based on the belief that
ordinary citizens can rule themselves. Pretty radical
idea.[neWLine]
In their infinite wisdom, they also came up with a Bill or
Rights. First among them – freedom of the press.[neWLine]
They knew what they were doing. In making a free and vigorous
press the keystone of our democracy, they paved the way for all
those other rights we’ve come to cherish. A free press – and the
free speech it embodies – is our country’s greatest
ally.[neWLine]
[neWLine]
CONCLUSION: When our politicians go after the press – as in the
most recent attack on the New York Times for its story on the
government’s hunt for terrorists through international bank
transactions – we have to pause, and think. (Can you say “”Pentagon
Papers,”” or “”Watergate””?)[neWLine]
Is it not the 1st amendment that establishes the first line of
defense against what the founders believed was the inherent tyranny
of government?[neWLine]
Indeed, is it not the press’ duty to report such
stories?[neWLine]
We rest our case.[neWLine]
(And all for a mere 50 cents a day.)
