Read the excerpt from George A. Krimsky's "The Role of the Media in a
Democracy."
Though nearly 60 percent of the world's nations today are declared
democracies-a monumental change from a mere decade ago-most of
them have nevertheless instituted press laws that prohibit reporting on a
whole array of subjects ranging from the internal activity and operations of
government to the private lives of leaders. Some of these are well-
intentioned efforts to "preserve public stability." But all of them, ALL of
them, undermine self-governance.
Question: Create a RACES or ACE response to answer two parts. 1.
Describe Krimsky's rebuttal to the counterargument and 2. judge if his
opinion is correct in your perspective.
*Use all steps of RACES or ACE to have a successful response.

In his article "The Role of the Media in a Democracy," George A. Krimsky argues that press laws that prohibit reporting on a whole array of subjects undermine self-governance. He begins by noting that, despite the fact that nearly 60 percent of the world's nations today are declared democracies, most of them have nevertheless instituted such laws. He then goes on to argue that these laws are all well-intentioned efforts to "preserve public stability," but that they ultimately undermine the ability of citizens to make informed decisions about their government.

Krimsky's rebuttal to the counterargument that these laws are necessary to protect national security is that they are actually counterproductive. He argues that, by preventing the media from reporting on government activities, these laws actually make it more difficult for citizens to understand what their government is doing and to hold it accountable. He also argues that these laws can be used to suppress dissent and to prevent the media from reporting on corruption or other wrongdoing by government officials.

In my opinion, Krimsky's argument is persuasive. I believe that press freedom is essential for a healthy democracy, and that press laws that prohibit reporting on a whole array of subjects are a threat to self-governance. I agree with Krimsky that these laws are ultimately counterproductive, and that they make it more difficult for citizens to understand what their government is doing and to hold it accountable. I believe that the media plays a vital role in a democracy, and that it is essential for the media to be able to report freely on all aspects of government activity.