Doing a bit of original intent interpretation here

Reader comment on: Chilling Effect

Submitted by Lyle (United States), Jun 9, 2013 23:59

Freedom of the press applies to the person who owns the press. In the time of the bill of rights an individual could own a press and set of type and put out his own paper. So in one sense at least it is freedom for the publisher: The right has since been extended to the employees and contractors of the publisher also. However just like in the various high school cases the publisher holds the final say, since the publisher pays the bills. There is no guarantee of the state paying for the publication. In one sense of course the web has reduced the barriers to entry so that one does not have to be a corporation to distribute information. (it was the invention of the steam press that took putting a newspaper out of the reach of a small business person in large cities, read the stories of vagabond presses in the west before towns became big enough to need powered presses)

So in one sense freedom of the press is more widespread then before since now anyone can for a reasonable investment publish a newsletter, it's the distribution that kills the business i.e. the post office charge or a delivery network.

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