The world of politics unfortunately is never without suspicion of mistrust and scepticism, especially when it comes to which political party is capable of offering transparency, accountability and prosperity to the people they serve.The democratic process is designed to allow those with opposing viewpoints, to express themselves openly and respectively without fear of reprisals, unlike dictatorial regimes that brutally discourage any form of dissent.Understanding the role of the free press in a democracy is important, especially when too often they become the target for uncovering activities that prove contrary to the values of truth and transparency, which should be expected from those in authority.The free press in Bermuda in recent years has been the subject of severe criticism mainly for investigating highly sensitive issues of public interest, especially in the political arena. The previous Government administration made it no secret they intended pulling the plug on the free press. Such a move could only be seen as reckless and dictatorial in a democracy, where the right to know, should be the golden rule.Let's be honest, the free press is not perfect, and never will be, but as long as there are journalists who are willing to seek the truth for the benefit of informing in a professional manner, the free press will remain a viable instrument in serving people who cherish true freedom.Whenever a Government attempts to crush the free press, observers become suspicious that officials must have something they would rather not have exposed. Despite great risk in various parts of the globe, many highly skilled and dedicated journalists continue to pay the ultimate price at times in their quest to inform. A number of politicians attempting to play outside of the rules, have been tumbled out of office, largely because of an alert free press. Even the press itself, when falling dreadfully short, can be brought down by other dedicated reporters. The News of the World publication in London was an example.Here in Bermuda, politicians of the day must come to terms that the free press is not a publicity machine for any political group, even though there are mixed feelings on that issue.These sentiments are most profound in the lead up to a general election as politicians seeking office become extremely edgy over negative publicity that might damage their public image which could be vital at the polls.The highly responsible role of the free press is to report as accurately as possible all developments as they occur, and this challenge is made even more difficult when reporters trying to do their job, are often brushed aside with the infamous, no comment.Bermuda should have grown over the years to respect the free press and its difficult role of being the watchdog for any type of irregularity that could impact the peoples business. No matter how sensitive it might be, or whomever it may effect. No public matter should ever be out of bounds for the free press to examine and accurately report.As a result of our small population and social history, there are emotional factors remaining, that cloud the true picture of where we stand today as a people. We can boast progress, but there is still much work to be done in building a more co-operative spirit. As politicians focus on winning an election, most people are focused on whether Bermuda is moving forward or backwards, in trying to come to grips with our grave economic situation with continuing job losses that can only have a crippling effect on family life.In the weeks ahead we can expect sharp and sometimes hostile exchanges as politicians battle each other for the high ground of acceptance by the populace. In the political world when people hurt enough, they usually remove those who seem incapable of easing their pain. The press has the dubious role of trying to be fair in the middle of all this, while trying to keep the facts up front, knowing no matter what is reported, one side or the other will not be pleased.One of the candidates in the US, currently vying for that seat in the White House, Herman Cain, recently stressed that voters must stay informed in order to make good judgments before deciding who to support. The same holds true for Bermuda. Tempers and emotions are expected to peak at times, as we move closer to a general election, but let's hope we can as one people, rise above racial and political differences for the good of the country.The free press has an important role to play in this process, and every politician who believes in truth, and placing Bermuda first, should know without the free press the people would be kept in the dark, and no sound thinking Bermudian wants that.