A Black Girl’s Perspective: Benjamin Franklin’s “Apology for Printers”

The essay by Benjamin Franklin reflects the early battles for press freedom and the enlightenment function of the press as envisioned by Franklin, Jefferson, and Payne. Thus, it is viewed as a critical moment in developing early colonial newspapers/the media in the United States.

Franklin, the publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette, was criticized for printing something that ran contrary to the views held by many at that time. His response to the criticism was the essay called Apology for Printers.

The key issues Franklin is addressing in his essay are all values that are cherished and upheld in press companies today. Franklin’s apology addresses the meaning of truth in one of his first “particulars,” commenting “That the Opinions of Men are almost as various as their Faces.”

People have all of their truths; therefore, people are entitled to their own opinions. Now more than ever, we are experiencing exponential exposure to all flora and fauna of human voices. For instance, “The Gays” have turned into “The LGBTQIA Community,” all due to unpopular opinions being spoken and the fair thinking platforms.

This notion leads into Benjamin’s second key theme: Open Press, or as he calls it, “Free Writing.” Franklin expresses that Printers are taught that “both sides” ought to be heard.

For modern instance, Vogue Magazine has published several covers of Kim Kardashian numerous times despite the controversy associated with her and the problems she symbolizes. The job of the “printers” is only to print. Their only job is to act as a platform.

Where do you think the line is drawn between reckless, free, and fair in journalism?