The tradition of a free press owes much to John Peter Zenger setting the precedent that truth was a legitimate defense against accusations of libel .
John Peter Zenger is a New York publisher who was acquitted in his 1735 landmark court case .
The tradition of a free press owes much to John Peter Zenger , a New York publisher who was acquitted in his 1735 landmark court case , setting the precedent that truth was a legitimate defense against accusations of libel .