What does it mean for our country to have a free press?

What happens when constraints are inflicted upon the media?

To seven-year-old Kevin O’Connor, the smell of printer’s ink was the most delightful smell in the world. Back then, printer’s ink was the lifeblood of the local newspaper and, in some ways, of the town.

Kevin began working for his hometown newspaper when he was in his early twenties, just after he returned from the war in Southeast Asia.

It was a job he held for a while, left and came back to. It was a job that meant he had the opportunity to dig for the truth, to highlight positive events in his community while exposing the more unsavory goings on that were always happening. It was a job that allowed him to help people.

After all, that’s what it means to have a free press.

But small-town newspapers were dying. Decisions were made to boost sales by hyping sensationalism.

Kevin had to decide what kind of journalist he wanted to be. Would he continue reporting when the standards shifted? Or would he walk away, leaving readers to wade through inaccuracies and untruths without providing a counterpoint?

As the structure of journalism crumbles, one man fights for what is right, knowing the stakes are high and the odds are against him.