This man's crime was printing the truth

A MIDST the avalanche of information on our A.ountry's history that has been forthcoming as part of our bicentennial celebration, there has been precious little information on one of our personal heroes, a man you probably never heard of named John Peter Zenger. His contribution to our country was nothing less than to have the courage to stand up for freedom of the press when that act was a crime. That's right, a crime.

The Knight-Ridder chain of newspapers recently recognized Zenger in an advertisement that said in part:

"In 1735 printing the truth was a crime. The press was free only so long as it didn't offend anyone in power.

"Then along came John Pe ter Zenger A German immigrant. A naive man in his way because he listened to people who pleaded with him to print criticism of the gove.rnment. And when he did what they asked he was jailed and brought to trial. His crime, printing the truth.

"Of course, today Zenger is a hero. But his heroism has been muted by the years. His story retold so often it has become a cliche. Like the words truth and freedom. Giant words, thrown about so lightly that they now seem vague and emptied of their promise.

"Truth and freedom are the heart and soul of a free society. The people of this country have a constitutional right to know the truth."

Of all the things that have made America the country that it is, surely one of the most important is freedom of the press. It is this right to unfettered communication that has given strength to our institutions, kept them in line, watched the men who sit in the places of power and, not the least, allowed the American business community the right to share, swap, and sell the information it has developed and used to make it the greatest economy on the face of the earth.

The import of the Zenger decision has been so enormous, and we are so accustomed to the possession of this incredible right, that it is difficult to really appreciate what the phrase freedom of the press means to each and every American. We hope none of us ever has to learn heightened appreciation ofit by its absence.