The Arizona Republic
The Arizona congressman talks about why he’s defending a free press in the AP and Fox News scandals.
Conservatives are often suspicious of big media, so it’s interesting you have been strongly defending media against the Justice Department’s confiscation of Associated Press and Fox News reporters’ records. Why is this important to you?
It is true that conservatives often feel maligned and treated unfairly by most of big media. However, the freedom of the press is one of a handful of core constitutional rights that sets us apart from so many oppressive regimes. Truth is a resilient force over time. Open dialogue, even that which is contentious or mutually biased, has a way of ultimately illuminating the principal components of most issues. While I may wonder and even rail at the way some journalists seem to casually dismiss the trust and profound responsibility they are granted in America, I have always believed it in the best of truth to defend that critical freedom.
