Holding Press Accountable Protects Freedom of Speech

By Lewis Loflin

In March 2017, an Associated Press article titled "Advocates Say First Amendment Can Withstand Trump Attacks" claimed that press accountability threatens free speech. I grew up in Norton, Virginia, in Wise County, where I’ve seen how the press’s failure to hold government accountable—especially on secretive economic development projects—stifles public discourse. As someone who values free expression, I believe holding the press accountable is essential to protect it, not undermine it.

The Press’s Perceived Bias:

The 2017 AP article, published during Sunshine Week, turned into a rant against then-President Trump, equating his criticism of the press with an attack on the First Amendment. But the press has no right to be above scrutiny. In 2016, the Bristol Herald Courier, my local paper in Southwest Virginia, ran 30–35 anti-Trump pieces in an 18-day period in October, including editorial cartoons and attacks on his supporters, while censoring pro-Trump letters to the editor. By printing biased content and suppressing opposing views, they endorsed a narrative, not free expression. Nationally, outlets like the New York Times pushed on January 20, 2017, ran unproven claims of wiretaps on Trump, later proven true, yet never retracted the story—yet called Trump “crazy” for mentioning it. This double standard fuels public contempt for the press, not Trump’s criticism.

Government Secrecy in Southwest Virginia:

In Southwest Virginia, the press’s failure to challenge government secrecy on economic development projects exacerbates the problem. I’ve written about projects like the Western Front Hotel in St. Paul, where $7.8 million in taxpayer funds were spent without proper oversight, and the Mountain Empire Community College Power Line Worker program, funded by a $200,000 CDBG grant in 2017, promoted as addressing “high-demand” jobs that don’t exist locally. More recently, in March 2025, lawmakers secured $11 million in federal funds for coal site redevelopment in Southwest Virginia, but details about the projects and companies involved remain opaque. The Bristol Herald Courier often reprints government press releases without digging deeper, failing to hold officials accountable for how taxpayer money is spent or whether these projects deliver results.

Press as an Elite Organ:

The press today often serves the elite, not the public. In Southwest Virginia, where Wise County’s poverty rate is 19.5% (2023 Census), projects like the Western Front Hotel benefit developers more than residents, yet the press rarely questions these initiatives. Nationally, Wikileaks exposed collusion between the press and the Democratic Party in 2016, and platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter have since ramped up censorship, often labeling dissent as “hate speech.” This corporate control—driven by advertisers and billionaire owners—poses a greater threat to free speech than any government action. Suppressed speech isn’t free, and political correctness, which the press often enforces, is anti-free speech.

Free Speech Requires Accountability:

Criticizing the press isn’t an attack on free expression—it’s a defense of it. In Southwest Virginia, government secrecy on economic development stifles public debate, and a compliant press enables this opacity. Kyle Pope, editor-in-chief of the Columbia Journalism Review, said in 2017, “We became perceived as part of the establishment… we belong on the outside.” I see no evidence of this shift. The press’s bias, corporate control, and failure to challenge government narratives—like those in Southwest Virginia—undermine its role as a watchdog. We need an open discussion, but it starts with both sides doing some soul-searching. Holding the press accountable ensures free speech thrives, especially in regions like mine where transparency is desperately needed.