The most basic problem faced by American journalists, both in war and peace, is that much of our society remains unaware, and therefore unappreciative, of the value of the profession's contribution to the quality and practice of our democracy. That contribution can be summed up in an example offered by Captain Marc Hedahl, ethics teacher in the philosophy department at the United States Air Force Academy. He noted: "Most military members have used the Washington Post test at some point in their careers. If you are facing an ethical dilemma, then you simply ask yourself what you would do if you knew that your actions would make the front page of tomorrow's Washington Post. The test is easier to remember and employ than Kant's Categorical Imperative."

Captain Hedahl's test reveals an important truth about society. People are not angels. Power requires watchdogs. Powerful people will often abuse their authority if they believe that no one is watching. That, in a nutshell, is why we need journalists. As Bill Kovach, chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists and a former curator of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, has explained, "a journalist is never more true to democracy -- is never more engaged as a citizen, is never more patriotic -- than when aggressively doing the job of independently verifying the news of the day; questioning the actions of those in authority; disclosing information the public needs but others wish secret for self-interested purposes."