In these days of instant communication, with so many communication devices at the disposal of millions on a global scale, not very much can be kept secret in either democratic countries or dictatorial regimes. As a result, the free press is challenged in both arenas, since their task is always to relentlessly seek the truth, and inform according to the highest standards of journalism.Good professional journalism is the ability to gather facts even in a complicated situation, and to inform without bias. In other words what should matter most, is whether what is being revealed is true or false. In a world where so much information is thrown around, separating fact from fiction is more difficult, especially when, occasionally, professional standards are sacrificed for speed in trying to be first with a story. Many leading news originations fully aware of credibility damage when this happens and are extremely cautious in dealing with breaking news. First reports are not always accurate.There are many highly professional journalists around the world putting their lives at risk in trying to get the truth out as accurately as possible. They do this in the face of grave danger because they know truth matters and they believe in their profession. Many brilliant reporters and photographers have made the ultimate sacrifice while performing their duties.It must be understood that the free press should never be an instrument for protecting or supporting a particular group be it political, or otherwise. Their job is to inform, using guidelines that are based on the highest standards.Will they get it right every time? Of course not. Mistakes will occur, but that is no reason to assume that the free press should be stifled, controlled or prevented from carrying out their responsibility to inform.In war torn Libya, which is a dying dictatorial regime, reporters from different countries have had an extremely difficult task attempting to seek out truth from Libyan authorities, who prefer for them to report only what they are told, even though it is usually far from what they know to be true.There was the case recently of the little girl Libyan authorities showed international reporters, claiming she was wounded by a NATO air strike. The reporters ran into a brick wall, so to speak, trying to get more information as where and when this happened. What came out later was something the Libyan officials did not want them to know. Reporters were able to ascertain from the girl’s mother that the child was actually injured in a traffic accident. Propaganda of this kind is common practice with dictatorial regimes where the free press is despised.The point here is that the role of the free press in a decent society, must be protected .A US Congressman is currently clinging to his job after first vehemently denying scandalous conduct, then bitterly attacking the media for reporting it, and finally admitting the truth. He later apologised to the press and everyone including his wife, for attempting to prevent the matter from exposure, which he knew would seriously effect his political career.Without the free press, the matter might have been swept under the carpet. The free press does not exist to bring people down, or to build them up. It is not a public relations tool. The job of the journalist is to gather information to inform, regardless of whether a report favours one group or another.This responsibility never changes even in a small country like Bermuda. In fact, good professional journalism protects itself when truth remains its core objective. Recently The Royal Gazette, our daily newspaper, apologised when it was pointed out that the contents of a story were inaccurate. It was an open acknowledgment of error, and the newspaper stressed that they will continue to strive for the highest journalism standards in reporting the truth.Most major news organisations around the world including the BBC, and CNN, have made similar statements whenever a report fell short of expected standards. Reporting countless stories on a daily basis is a never ending challenge for any news organisation, but as long as truth is the high point, the free press will be vital for those who love freedom and decency.In the weeks and months ahead, with an election looming, things are likely to get quite verbally nasty between opposing political groups. In a sense this happens in a democratic setting, but the free press must never be discouraged from doing their best to keep truth out in front, in a professional manner.Any attempt to stifle the free press, must be seen as an attempt to stifle freedom. We must never allow that to happen.