PITTSBURGH — Just when we need it the most, fresh inspiration about the value and virtue of a free press is here. It's from the year 1644.
The 375th anniversary of John Milton's "Areopagitica" is occurring at a time when the press is under siege — from the White House, from purists at both ends of the political spectrum, from remorseless economic forces that have replaced profits with losses and depleted reporting staffs at all but a handful of news outlets.
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