Freedom of the press on endangered list.

• Position: Journalism

"The existence of unbridled journalism is vital to the entire concept of democracy. It I is essential for providing a forum in which all problems facing a government can be resolved by a thorough airing of all facts and solutions, and to attack instances of corruption and power grabbing," says Frank V. Vernuccio Jr., editor-in-chief of New York Analysis of Policy & Government and radio cohost of the "Vernuccio-Novak Report."

However, the concept of free speech is taking a worldwide beating. "Outright censorship by totalitarian governments, management of media outlets that seek to slant the news towards a particular point of view, and the growing trend towards labeling open discussions as 'offensive' and then banning them, combine to make an objective and independent press an endangered species," he adds.

Reporters Without Borders has released its 2016 "World Press Freedom Index" and, according to the organization, "Most of the movement ... is indicative of a climate of fear and tension combined with increasing control over newsrooms by governments and private-sector interests. The ... Index reflects the intensity of the attacks on journalistic freedom and independence by governments, ideologies, and private-sector interests during the past year."

"Even before the latest Index was published, there were an increasing number of complaints within the U.S., for example, that social media outlets have acted prejudicially against individuals expressing viewpoints contrary to the prevailing Progressive orthodoxy, a trend clearly visible on college campuses," stresses Vernuccio. "The Internet, the New York Analysis of Policy and Government believes, may be the media most at risk. The bizarre plan of the Obama Administration to surrender control of the Internet to an international body composed of many members that practice censorship, scheduled to take place by November, does not bode well for the future--nor does the growing quest for expanding operations in China by private social media moguls. Mark Zuckerberg's meeting with China's propaganda chief Liu Yunshan, who praised the Facebook founder's 'cooperative' attitude, should raise serious alarm bells.

"No nation has ever enacted free speech protection as substantial as America's constitutional First Amendment guarantee but, for the first time, that absolute right is being substantially assaulted. From college campuses which limit student statements that challenge leftist orthodoxy, to...