The First Amendment of the Bill of
Rights promises that "Congress shall make
no law...prohibiting...the freedom of
speech, or of the press..." This freedom has
been guaranteed for over 200 years (since
1791), so today it's something we take for
granted. Without this right, state and local
newspapers — including the one in your
hands — wouldn't be free to tell the truth
about current events. Unfortunately, many
countries in the world still do not allow the
press to report what really happens.
This issue of The Arkansas News is
about the history of newspapers in
Arkansas. We chose this topic to honor the
Arkansas Press Association (APA), which
is celebrating its 125th anniversary this
fall. This valuable organization lobbies the
state legislature on behalf of the state's
newspapers and ensures that the freedom
of speech and the press are not obscured or
overlooked with the creation of new laws.
The APA's members include the state's 138
weekly and daily newspapers.
This history of newspapers in Arkansas
is long and varied — we've given you just a
little of that here. Most towns have their
own newspaper history — we hope this will
encourage you to do some local detective
work!
Just don't forget that today's newspaper
is worth reading too.
