What did thomas jefferson believe about the role of the media in a democracy?

Thomas Jefferson argued that the power of the Government was not to suppress criticism, but rather to use it to improve its own performance. Since the end of the XVIII century, the press has become an important means of communicating with the public, informing about the processes in the political sphere. In addition to information, an important role in democratic media plays a function of entertainment. Also, the conquest of democracy is an advertising function, caused by the need for financial independence.  

In an ideal state, the media has a duty to assist in achieving the truth, settling disputes on the basis of existing facts and opinions, supervising and extrajudicial control of the conduct of the government, being a "watchdog of democracy, always be ready to detect and expose any arbitrariness or authoritarian actions "