Joseph Farah writes:

Thomas Jefferson -- ["Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it"] -- never could have imagined what would become of the free press in America.

But don’t blame Jefferson. As I have chronicled before, Jefferson and his colleagues didn’t have much experience with the free press. That’s because he and the other American Founding Fathers all but invented it.

That’s right. You don’t hear or read much about this history any more. But it’s true. The free press is an original America idea like baseball and jazz.

And like baseball and jazz, there have been a few changes in the rules and craft along the way.

Like what?

I was stunned to learn recently about an American "news agency" that has been subsidized by the U.S. government [that is, U.S. taxpayers] to the tune of $364 million over the last 10 years.

Have you heard about this? It’s one of the biggest outrages I’ve ever encountered. Hat tip to the Media Research Center.

Internews was founded by a self-described Marxist, has been supported by George Soros and is avowedly committed to what it calls "progressive," meaning left-wing, reporting.

"To put its $364,325,778 in federal funding in perspective," Farah writes, "Internews has gotten an average of $83,122.46 from taxpayers per day during the past 12 years. That’s $83,000 every single day for 12 years. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX, said that so much money going to influence journalism is a real problem.

"'People need unbiased information so that they can form their own opinions and make educated decisions. It is only through fair reporting that the American people, and people worldwide, can benefit,' Rep. Smith told the Business and Media Institute," according to Farah.

"Smith, who heads the Media Fairness Caucus on the Hill, said: 'One of the greatest challenges a democratic America faces today is a biased media. It is inexcusable and irresponsible for the federal government to give American taxpayers’ dollars to a one-sided media organization'," Farah writes.