Final answer:
John Peter Zenger was a journalist who was charged with seditious libel in 1735. He was found not guilty, affirming the importance of a free press in the colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Peter Zenger was a journalist who was charged with seditious libel by the colonial governor, William Cosby, in 1735. Zenger published articles criticizing the corrupt colonial government in his newspaper, the New York Weekly Journal. In his trial, Zenger's lawyers successfully argued that a statement is not libelous if it can be proved to be true. As a result, Zenger was found not guilty, which affirmed the importance of a free press in the colonies.