Ever since ancient times human societies have valued the idea of expressing their feelings through words and writing. “...Throughout history, many governments and other institutions have worked to stop people from expressing themselves” (Gale 2). Other countries such as China control their people and what they can and cannot say. “Early medieval Chinese leaders believed their duty to govern China included the requirement to guide the people morally by censoring the expression of thoughts that could corrupt their minds” (Gale 3). There are pros and cons about being able to say and write your opinion as one could easily claim false information about people or companies. The viewers or listeners can then be influenced and think that it is true information. Why people say so many lies and are sometimes able to get their way is because there are no consequences of writing these false claims. People have been spreading false information since 1517 about religions and lies about others to get their way. “This was an anti-Catholic religious movement that was started in 1517 by the German priest Martin Luther (1483–1546), whose teachings led to the formation of the Protestant branch of Christianity” (Gale 5). Now that social media is everywhere anyone can spread rumors about people, companies, and brands. They cannot get fined or in trouble because it's telling their opinion about people or companies. Threats can be made to people, which then can make people go crazy. Other countries do not allow people to say what they want.The press can be opinions which some people can agree or disagree on but some people do not know how to think for themselves and determine if they would agree or disagree so they end up believing anything they see. Josh Kiehl