Write a note on the importance of having a free press in a democracy

What will be an ideal response?

To form their own political opinions, citizens must be able to access competing viewpoints and different sources of information. Freedom of the press, thus, requires that mass media—TV, newspapers, radio, the Internet, etc.—be available in some form that is free from state control. Further, such media must be able to present information independently of what the government of the day might prefer. When political rules of the game protect individual and group rights, elections take on more meaning.