Eight Values of Free Expression

Checks on Governmental Power and Protecting Dissent are the most important values. 

Checks on Governmental Power:

I feel that Checks on Governmental Power are the most important. I think that the government should be watched, and it must be held accountable for its actions because if we, as a people, are not allowed to criticize the government and protest, the structure of a functioning democracy is gone. 

When things go wrong, or might need improving, like adding amendments and constitutional standards, the government won't listen if we're not allowed to protest and hold them accountable. 

One of the most important things about a democratic government is to follow the wishes of its people, and that won't get done if the government is not held to standards or watched. If no one were allowed to criticize the government, we would no longer be a free country, and meaningful societal change would not get done. 

I think the women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, and the 13th Amendment are examples of this. These movements and changes show why people being able to come together and express their opinions can be important for society. That's why, for me, it's the most important value of free expression.

Things like Checks on governmental power allow for protected dissent because they allow free expression and let people come together to disagree with the government. 

It matters to me as a college student and citizen because getting together in a protest or expressing opinions on social media about the government's power is an important right because it can lead to societal change. 

I am a part of HPU Vision, the weekly news show on campus. Although I don't think we should criticize the government's actions because we don't want to take sides and make people unhappy, we could, in theory, expose government wrongdoing as a journalistic show. This is another way that the press can act as a check on government power.

An AP article I found about press freedom also connects to this idea. The article shows a 2026 Pew Research Center survey that found that three-quarters of Americans consider press freedom highly important to the well-being of society. This shows why a free press is still important today: it allows people to question and report on the government.

Protect Dissent:

The other value that I think is important is protecting dissent. This basically means citizens can criticize and disagree with the government even when their opinions aren't popular. It's also the most personal for me because I see it around me in action, whether it's on social media or discussing it with friends and family. People criticize the government all the time. 

Because social media gives regular people a way to publicly criticize what the government decides, it can help protect dissent by giving people a voice outside of regular news organizations. People should be allowed to say, “I don't agree with this law” or “The government is doing something wrong.” That's how I see it in action the most nowadays. Social media right now is one of the easiest ways to express an opinion and protest what the government does.

Bringing the two ideas together:

I believe these two free expression values are pillars of American society. Checks on government power matter because the press can criticize and expose government wrongdoing, and protecting dissent matters because it lets citizens criticize and disagree with the government. Both can lead to meaningful societal change.