John Peter Zenger

John Peter Zenger (October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German-American printer, publisher, editor and journalist in New York City. Zenger printed The New York Weekly Journal. He was a defendant in a landmark legal case in American jurisprudence, known as "The Zenger Trial", that determined that truth was a defense against charges of libel and "laid the foundation for American press freedom." In late 1733, Zenger began printing The New Weekly Journal to voice his opinions of the colonial governor, William Cosby.. In November 1734 Zenger was arrested by the Sheriff on the orders of Cosby and after a grand jury refused to indict him was charged with libel in January 1735 by the attorney general Richard Bradley.

Read more about John Peter Zenger:  Zenger Case in History

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    A fanatic is a man that does what he thinks the Lord would do if He knew the facts of the case.
    —Finley Peter Dunne (1867–1936)