The freedoms protected by the first amendment are crucial to life in the United States. In our country we are free to pray how we feel led, free to speak what is on our minds and report the truth upon a medium of our choice. The freedoms encompassed in the first amendment gives Americans the peace of mind they deserve so that they may be themselves. The bill of rights was originally designed to protect the people and give us the liberties we deserve.

In this election cycle, our liberties of the first amendment could be slowly taken away. In a February speech, Donald Trump spoke of “opening the libel laws” because in his opinion critics can criticize him too easily. Freeing the libel laws would allow Trump to sue any reporter or article he deemed unkind. Do we really need something this petty introduced into our society? If President Trump does become a reality, I fully expect to be sued for everything I own because I chose to speak my mind in this article.

You may think that this couldn’t happen, but in Trump’s rallies media outlets such as MSNBC and CNN found wires connected to their live camera sabotaged. This was only a small isolated incident that doesn’t prove anything, but take Trump’s ban on the Washington Post. Trump barred the Washington Post from reporting on his campaign because the writers at the Post were too critical towards him. Yes, I know on paper these happenings don’t seem like much, but it is a slippery slope once something like this has started.

Our first amendment rights are some of the basic principles of American life. We take for granted that we are able to speak how we choose, but soon if these libel rights are opened, we may have to watch our tongues. Free speech is what allows me to write articles like these, and is what allows you to have your own thoughts and ideas without being punished for being an individual. It is our right as United States citizens to be informed by the media, no amount of law or policy could take that away from us. We deserve our news and we deserve our media stating the truth as bluntly as the deem fit.