Welcome to Grand Strand Daily, a Free Press

By Paul Gable

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

Of all ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution set forth in the Bill of Rights,
the first is the one practiced daily by virtually all Americans. Freedom of
religion, speech and the press, the right to assemble peaceably and to petition
the government for a redress of grievances are what separate us, as Americans,
from all other national groups.

These are not rights to be taken lightly. Thomas Jefferson believed so strongly that
a well-informed public was the most necessary foundation of a democracy.

“The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to
keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a
government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not
hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should
receive those papers and be capable of reading them.” – Thomas Jefferson

James Madison believed that restraint on government was needed in order for the freedoms of the people to
be preserved.

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent
encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
–  James Madison.

Jefferson saw a free press as a restraint on the potential actions of government.

“No government ought to be without censors, and where the press is free, no one ever will.”  – Thomas Jefferson.

With those comments and quotations, we welcome you to Grand Strand Daily, the newest internet media
outlet serving Myrtle Beach, Horry County and surrounding areas.

While the publication is new, we will be relying on veteran reporters, including our editor Paul Gable who
brings over 20 years of experience covering Horry County news.

Our primary goal is to serveas the watchdog on local governments that Jefferson, Madison and the other
Founding Fathers believed was the primary purpose of a free press. We do not
believe that news is merely filler between advertisements as all too many media
outlets seem to treat it today.

We will strive to use our investigative reporting experience to bring to light the issues and actions of
government officials, as well as other individuals in the public arena, that
they would prefer to remain behind closed doors.

In addition to investigative reporting, Grand Strand Daily will offer local news of general interest,
profiles of some of the interesting people and organizations in the area and
editorial comment when appropriate.

We are looking forward to an interesting and exciting ride and invite you to come along on a daily basis to
see what is really happening along the Grand Strand.

“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”
– Thomas Jefferson