“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

What makes it great? Forgive the indulgence of the great-granddaughter of immigrants, and the decidedly American nature of this post. I have no desire to exclude the non-American members of the Storyboard community. On the contrary.

But on this, the birthday of a nation and a bold experiment in democracy, it seemed appropriate to remind ourselves that this is the first line in the First Amendment. That journalists around the globe fight everyday to tell the truth without these granted protections. And that those protections can never be taken for granted.

Here’s a bonus for what I hope is a thoughtful day: John F. Kennedy reading the Declaration of Independence.

(It would be remiss not to acknowledge that challenges that have come with this nation’s journey. Here’s a contrarian view. It’s not a story in the narrative sense, and I’m not endorsing it’s take on history. But it offers the fodder for stories that need to be considered as we go boldly forward.)

Happy Independence Day, wherever you are from and however you mark it.