Respuesta :
In these circumstances, it is important to mention John Peter Zenger, who was a German-American journalist. He printed The New York weekly Journal. He was accused of libel in 1734 by the royal governor of New York. It was acquitted by the jury, becoming a symbol for press freedom.
Zenger, in 1733 and with the support of the popular party, expressed in copies of newspapers in New York his displeasure with the actions of the new colonial governor William Cosby, criticizing him with harshness which earned him the accusation of defamation. After 8 months in prison, Zenger went to trial. In this case, Hamilton and Smith, Zenger's attorneys, tried to establish the following precedent: a statement, even if it is considered in the first instance defamatory, is not defamatory if it can be proven, thus affirming freedom of the press in the United States. Successive royal governors, however, continued to repress press freedom until the American Revolution. It is important to note that this case is the basis of press freedom, not its legal precedent.
The trial of the New York printer, John Peter Zenger was one of the most crucial step towards achieving America's most valued freedom of press. John was an immigrant from Germany, he had the publication named New York Weekly Journal. He pointed out the corrupt actions of the then governor, William. S. Gosby in a very open manner. John was arrested for the charges of publishing against the government. The first jury was people who were got bribed by Gosby. John's wife was determined to put all the media attention to the case. Andrew Hamilton, a Philadelphia based lawyer took over to defend John. He asked the prosecution to prove the allegations in the publication to be false. The prosecution failed to prove them true. The jury found John not guilty.
