Contemplating Media & the First Amendment
Can you blow my whistle, baby? No, but seriously, what does it take to be a whistleblower in an organization? Confidence? Morality? No regard for what you may lose? Reading about whistleblowers this week had me wondering if I would ever blow the whistle on an organization I was in - and I’m not sure... Continue Reading →
On October 31st, 2019, Aaron Sorkin, writer of “The Social Network,” wrote an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg for The New York Times on his hypocrisy and the irony of his Georgetown speech on protecting free speech. Recently, Zuckerberg has been defending his company’s posting of false advertisements regarding political candidates under the guise of... Continue Reading →
If you ask someone whether whistleblowers are good or bad, you are going to get very different responses based on who you ask. For example, if you were to ask someone from the government, they would probably say bad. But if you were to ask the editor of a major newspaper, their opinion would be... Continue Reading →
Hate speech. Recently there’s been discussion in the media, questioning the First Amendment and the fact that it allows for hate speech. According to an article in the Washington Times on Thursday, 51% of Americans think that the First Amendment should be rewritten and 48% think that hate speech should be illegal. Those are significant... Continue Reading →
This week's reading material covered an important (and extremely relevant) topic: whistleblowers, leakers, and more specifically––the differences between them. While both whistleblowers and leakers are similarly motivated to hold institutions accountable for their actions, the way they're portrayed throughout media and treated by society, varies unfairly. What separates a whistleblower from a leaker? According to... Continue Reading →
Chapter six of the book “Freedom for the Thought We Hate” by Anthony Lewis describes to what extent journalists are protected from having to name their sources before a grand jury. Most conversation surrounding the first amendment pertains to who gets to talk about what in society. This chapter presented an interesting question about who... Continue Reading →
In Chapter 6 of “Freedom for the Thought We Hate” by Anthony Lewis, we gain insight on the issue of “press privilege,” and what exactly that means for reporters at the witness stand. One of the most important issues within this is that of defining what it really means to be part of the press.... Continue Reading →
Last Wednesday, two students at the University of Connecticut were arrested on charges of shouting racist slurs in a parking lot across a university dorm on their way home. FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, are saying these arrests are unconstitutional under the First Amendment. “However offensive the use of a racial epithet,... Continue Reading →
Image taken from an article about Newark Penn Station. Public train and bus stations often serve as temporary shelters for homeless people in America. I recall my first time visiting New Jersey’s Newark Penn Station. The big, warm station with its long, winding halls had multiple eateries and lots of wide, comfy pew-like benches to... Continue Reading →
On October 18, a suit was filed against a North County officer for violating the First Amendment. In 2018, a woman named Sarah Townsend was at a Mobil Gas Station talking to a man in a wheelchair when a North County police officer pulled up and began to arrest the man. Seeing no reason for... Continue Reading →
Free Press Free Speech 