John Peter Zenger

       At first the newspaper lecture got off to a slow start, and find myself losing the battle with sleep. Then Mr.Miller started explaining the court case of John Peter Zenger.  John had been writing rude but truthful things about the governor  in his town. So he took him to court for libel, which is claiming that someone is writing false things about someone that is hurting their reputation. The governor  admitted that everything John wrote about him was true and the jury found John not guilty. The truth is the ultimate defense against libel.

        I thought this case was very important for the future of journalism. Without this case, freedom of speech would be very limited. News nowadays is about people in charge and journalist wouldn't be able to express how they feel or tell the truth in their articles.  The John Peter Zenger trial will definitely be remembered in the history of journalism!