ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of The First Amendment

949 Words4 Pages

The first amendment grants protection for American citizens to have freedom of speech. It protects five general areas: speech, religion, press, right to petition the government, and right to assemble. Freedom of the press is a protection that is necessary for journalists, photographers, news corporations and all media. Without the protection, journalists would not be able to uphold their promise to deliver the truth to citizens who do not have the same access to politics, world news and current events the way the journalism industry does. Ultimately, the first amendment grants the press special privileges, but they are not guaranteed all access. The press is not free to do anything they want, they have special rights to get and disseminate information while facing certain restrictions.
The first amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press: or the right of people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Zelezny, 2011:41). The amendment is not interpreted by the courts absolutely or literally. There are restrictions on speech and the press. Freedom of the press means, “immunity from previous restraints or …show more content…

A concern for national security has sparked a number of cases. Among them are the Pentagon Papers case and the United States v. Progressive Inc. Progressive Inc. wanted to publish an article about homemade hydrogen bombs. When the United States Department of Energy was asked to fact check the article they instructed Progressive Inc. not to publish it because they feared other countries could read the report and use the information to advance their own weapon efforts to later use against the United States. In the end, other science journals began publishing similar articles and the case was

Show More
Related

  • Pros And Cons Of The Tenth Amendment

    662 Words  | 3 Pages

    "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the [enumerated] Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof." (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18). The Constitution is by far the most important document in our country's history. It provides rules and restrictions for the government and the power it can hold. It ensures the stability for our country’s survival.

    Read More

  • How Has The First Amendment Changed

    1290 Words  | 6 Pages

    The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.” Freedom of Speech helps those who need help and can ask the public without worry of getting in trouble. This amendment was included in the Constitution because now people e the right to advertise their work to others and have protests to things that they believe is right for the country. The amendments were important to the framers of the Constitution. The Freedom of Speech was important to the framers because of, “its diffusion of liberal sentiments on the administration of Governments.”

    Read More

  • How Does Section 319 (2) Of The Criminal Code Prohibits Hate Propaganda

    549 Words  | 3 Pages

    Section 2(b) guarantees freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including the freedom of the press and other media of

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The US Constitution

    451 Words  | 2 Pages

    To the highly-valued citizens of the United States of American, we believe in order for our newly-founded country to thrive, our constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and the system of government which it has formed must be replaced and a new constitution be adopted. We believe the Articles of Confederation have proven to be ineffective and the source of many hardships in our nation. To strive to solve this significant challenge, we have created and propose a new constitution, the Constitution of the United States, and federal government. As an explanation for our reasoning, this pamphlet has been written to clarify the Articles of Confederation’s weaknesses, how the new constitution can fix these problems, and present how the Constitution

    Read More

  • 1st Amendment Pros And Cons

    310 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1st amendment is a God-given right and the fact remains that there will be idiots in a world that hands a microphone to the very first controversial person because a world that distorts the view of political, religious, and social matters to persuade a country to feel a certain way toward an issue deemed pivotal towards keeping the status quo of keeping a racial superiority while keeping a suspicious hint of racial tension. Just because a church exercises the right to free speech people try to add in emotions to an emotionless issue. If you added emotions into everything people would start getting arrested for calling someone ugly or annoying. The world and people as a whole need to learn to grow a set and learn how to not get offended

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Constitution

    2146 Words  | 9 Pages

    The constitution was a collaboration project where several different people and ideologies worked together to form a fair and just government in the colonies. Due to the large number of different ideas battling for dominance within the formation of this new government, compromise had to be made. This level of compromise allows the modern interpreter to find the existence, both in large and small ways, of the ongoing battle in regard to individual and civil rights in every part of the document. These contributors had very different ideas about the concept of ‘rights’ and more specifically, their ideal level of priority within a society. Locke, Rousseau, Paine, Dickinson, Madison and Blackstone all had varying ideas of what this balance should

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The 14th Amendment

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    It has been argued that birthright citizenship, or the legal right to citizenship for all children born in a country 's territory, regardless of parentage, may reward/encourage illegal immigrant parents an excuse to stay in the country. Despite this possibility, the 14th Amendment should not be modified. The 14th Amendment states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” (U.S. Const. amend.

    Read More

  • The FLQ And The October Crisis In Canada

    1043 Words  | 5 Pages

    Censorship was also implemented against the press.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson's Quotes 'Freedom Of Press'

    280 Words  | 2 Pages

    It can also support new ideas. That is why Thomas Jefferson’s quote is right. Here are some reasons the freedom of press should not be restricted without losing it.

    Read More

  • What Are The Immediate Effects Of The Zenger Trial

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    Without freedom of the press discussions cannot reach a wider audience, debate is obstructed,

    Read More

  • 1st Amendment Importance

    530 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Importance of the 1st Amendment In 1787 our founding fathers assembled the constitution of the United States of America. Of this which contains the most important document to the American citizen, the Bill of rights. The first Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” These freedoms granted by the Bill of Rights are often known as freedom of expression. These rights are most important to a truly free society. The first amendment provides us with new ideas and dismisses the fear of punishment

    Read More

  • Fourth Branch Of Government Essay

    778 Words  | 4 Pages

    writing prompt #6: Explain why the media has been called the fourth branch of government. Include your opinion of whether this is an accurate portrayal. Media is considered the fourth branch of government, but why? Media influences lives on the daily and can influence governmental thoughts, opinions , and decisions as well. Because of this it could be used for or against the government.

    Read More

  • Essay On 1st Amendment

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    You hold a petition or go against a religion BAM!! DEATH. This would be the mayhem without the first amendment. ”Where the press is free and every man is able to read, all is safe.” says Thomas Jefferson on the first amendment. The first amendment, the 5 freedoms granted to everyone, has a meaning and purpose in everyone's day to day life and will forever have an enduring impact on life in the USA.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Fourteenth Amendment

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    On July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth amendment was formally introduced to the Constitution and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” These words have as an ideal purpose that all levels of the federal government must operate within the law and provide fair conditions for all people. As a result, the states had a obligation to the public. Through the Fourteenth amendment, states were forbidden from denying any person “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” or to “deny any person within jurisdiction the equal protection of laws.” By directly mentioning the role of the states, the Fourteenth amendment also expanded civil rights to African American slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War.

    Read More

  • Communist Manifesto Human Rights

    1563 Words  | 7 Pages

    It is curious however to see that the party in which instilled and pledged to these rights, chose to almost even reject the existence of them. We see this type of “news censorship” a multitude of times when the press announced

    Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of The First Amendment

Open Document