One of the differences that set the United States apart from other nations of the earth at that time was spelled out in the First Amendment to our Constitution.
The language is simple, yet profound:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The First Amendment is emblazoned on the outside wall of one of my favorite museums, the “Newseum” in Washington, D.C. Journalism has changed since 1791. Honestly, journalism has changed a lot just in the last decade. But, fundamentally, the freedom of the press is one of the most important pillars of a free society. As the well-known saying goes, though, freedom isn’t free.
Marie Colvin was an American-born journalist reporting for British newspaper The Sunday Times and a well-known war correspondent. She lost an eye in a grenade attack in Sri Lanka in 2001 and became known for the iconic black eye patch she wore in the years after.
In 2012, she traveled to Homs, Syria, to report on the conditions on the ground as the Syrian civil war was still in its early days. On Feb. 21, 2012, Marie called in her last report via Skype and talked about watching a young toddler die after being hit by shrapnel. She also said the world needed to know that Assad’s regime was attacking civilians. In her interview, she called it a “complete and utter lie” that the Syrian Army was only going after military targets, saying that every civilian home in the neighborhood where she was had been hit.
A few hours later, the makeshift “media center” where she was staying was targeted by mortars. She and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed. Later, a commander responsible for the strike said “Marie Colvin was a dog and now she’s dead.” In April 2018, her family’ submitted video and nearly 2,000 pages of documents in their federal lawsuit against the Syrian government. Last week, I spoke personally to one of the Syrians who had been aiding Marie in Homs. It makes the world a very small place. It also reinforces to me the cost some people pay for speaking truth.
In early May 2015, a bank employee Ananta Das left his home to go to work. In those early morning hours, with few people around, Mr. Das was hacked to death by four men carrying meat cleavers and machetes. His “crime”? Blogging a politically unpopular view in Bangladesh. Yikes.
In Tamaulipas, Mexico, no newspaper will publish the truth about the drug lords there. The drug cartels decreed a media blackout years ago and enforce it strictly. Those who break the silence on Twitter, Facebook or via other digital means are marked for death. In October 2014, “Felina,” a social media activist who was also a physician, was executed when her identity was discovered. Her reporting on cartel activity was “politically unpopular” and she paid for it with her life.
I once had an experience that really showed me how much I value freedom of speech. I was in a job that got progressively more restrictive on me using my voice. They became more and more insistent that I not blog, that I get off of my personal social media accounts, and that I refrain from having any public opinion outside of work. Finally, I was told that if I spoke at an event — after work hours — on a topic of “What Mormon Women Want,” I would be fired on the spot. That seemed like a double violation, hitting both freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I quit.
I learned for myself just how much I value my voice. I will never again accept a job that demands my silence.
I am grateful every day that I do not have to worry about being hacked to death, shot, or ending up dismembered under a bridge when I share political views, religious views or really, any views at all.
(Photo Courtesy Holly Richardson)
Holly Richardson is a Salt Lake Tribune columnist who recognizes the privilege it is to freely opine.