Americans Value Press Freedom but Differ on Its Limits

Most Americans see freedom of the press – protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – as important to society. But their support for press freedom is far from absolute, according to a new Pew Research Center study from the Pew-Knight Initiative.

While Americans largely support press freedom in principle, half or more also say the government should be able to restrict news reporting in certain cases, particularly if it endangers national security or contains inaccurate information. In fact, when forced to choose between accuracy and press freedom, Americans are slightly more likely to choose the side of accuracy.

Americans are also divided in how they assess the state of press freedom today. While many say the press has become less free during President Donald Trump's second term, views differ sharply by political party. And there have been only modest changes in how concerned Americans are about potential restrictions on press freedom over the past few years – and how free they say the press is to report the news.

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