In a democracy government is accountable to the people. In those circumstances it is apparent that the people must be informed about what is going on in government, otherwise accountability means nothing. No one would suggest that government alone should inform the people of what it is doing, though in recent times many developed democracies as well as the emerging ones have introduced processes whereby government is seen to be more open, more transparent and more accountable. There still needs to be an independent mediator. Classically, in a democracy, that is a role assumed by the press which acts as a kind of watchdog on the affairs of government, mediating between the people and their government and what it is doing. Another American, Abraham Lincoln, once famously said, "Let the people know the facts and the country will be safe."