By Rem Rieder | USA TODAY
The number at first seems reassuring.
In the new State of the First Amendment survey conducted by the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center in partnership with USA TODAY, 69% of the American public says it embraces the importance of the news media acting as a watchdog on government.
That’s the good news. The watchdog role is crucial in a democracy for keeping public officials honest. Lack of support would significantly complicate the situation.
But here’s the bad news: A year ago, that number stood at 80%. That’s a sharp falloff in a single year.
