Quote Originally Posted by TomOfSweden View Post
Why would ordinary people ever be against freedom of the press? ... Is it that people in general are extremely stupid or do know something I don't? These numbers aren't only in oppressed countries like Russia. It's in the west to. Even in "the land of the free".
Part of the problem is in what you consider "ordinary" people. This is strictly my opinion, based on my admittedly limited observations. Most "ordinary" people don't really want everyone to be free. They want freedom for themselves, yes, since they "know" that they can deal with it. But for all those other people out there? Hell, that might lead to strange thinking, like evolution and gay marriages and all that subversive stuff!

Then, too, "ordinary" people tend to follow a charismatic leader rather than think for themselves. And when that leader points to a free press as destroying decent society, the "ordinary" people will parrot his diatribes. In actuality, that leader is upset simply because the press actually prints what is real and not necessarily what he believes is real.

Yes, a free press is an absolute necessity in any democracy, no question about it. But it can also be a dangerous weapon against the leaders of that democracy. To us, that means it's doing its job. To those who are caught in their deceits and brought out into the light, that means it needs to be reined in before they lose their power. And if they can rile up enough of their followers, they just might get their way.