Answer A free and independent press has been theorized to be a key mechanism of a functioning, healthy democracy. ... An independent press "serves to increase political knowledge, participation and voter turnout", acting as an essential driver of civic participation.r: The freedom of the press, protected by the First Amendment, is critical to a democracy in which the government is accountable to the people. A free media functions as a watchdog that can investigate and report on government wrongdoing.
The main way in which the causes of the enlightenment were similar to the causes of the industrial revolution was that both focusses on the "common man" instead of the elite.