Americans prize a free press, with some caveats

Pew finds most call press freedom vital, but a slim majority would limit it to stop inaccurate reporting.(CN) — Most Americans say a free press is vital, but many also believe there should be limits. According to the Pew Research Center, there is broad support for press freedom in the abstract — until it is weighed against accuracy, safety or politics.Researchers conducted a study, released Tuesday, that drew on two national surveys of about 3,500 adults each in March and June, plus 10 focus groups. They found that 73% of U.S. adults said freedom of the press is extremely or very important to society’s well-being, while only 8% called it a little important or not important at all. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to give it that high rating (81% vs. 66%).The numbers shifted as soon as researchers forced a choice. Fifty-three percent said it is more important to stop inaccurate reporting, even if that limits press freedom. Forty-five percent said the press should be free to report even if some stories are wrong.Six in 10 said the government should be able to require a news organization to take down a story that poses a national security risk. About half (51%) said the same about stories containing false information. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to support both powers.Support collapsed when the hypothetical story was merely critical of the government (10%) or clearly favored one political side (14%). Large majorities rejected government power to pull a story just because it criticized officials or favored one party.“My biggest worry is that by having full-fledged press freedom, any journalist can say anything at any time without any facts,” one right-leaning man in his 40s said as part of a focus group. A left-leaning man in his 50s answered the national security argument this way: “Who’s the source that’s telling me that it’s an emergency? To me, it’s just another opportunity to clamp down on the press.”Americans are also divided on whether the press is actually free right now. Only 28% said the media is completely free to report the news, down from 33% last year. Forty-four percent said the press has become less free during President Donald Trump’s second term, while 12% said it has become more free. Among Democrats, 72% said freedom has declined. Among Republicans, 15% said the same.Both parties, however, agreed the relationship between the Trump administration and the news media is poor, with 71% calling it very or somewhat bad.Concern about restrictions on the press (46% extremely or very concerned) is roughly even with concern about the right to vote and the right to assemble. Democrats expressed far more worry about press freedom than Republicans (64% vs. 29%).Knowledge of the legal foundation is shaky, with only 51% correctly identifying the First Amendment as the source of press freedom. A quarter mixed it up with language from the Declaration of Independence.In the focus groups, people described press freedom as the right to publish without official interference, the duty to report facts, or the public’s right to hear them. One left-leaning man in his 60s called it “a point of pride of this country” that exists “for the benefit to the country and its citizens, even more than the journalists.”The study does not settle whether the government is actually muzzling reporters. Rather, it shows where the public draws the line when a free press bumps up against accuracy and national security, reflecting a slim majority would rather curb inaccurate reporting than give the press a free hand.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads