Contemplating Media & the First Amendment
“This is not the NFL.” - An alleged quote from a secretary at Windfern High School in Houston, Texas, that expelled a 17 year old girl for refusing to stand up during the Pledge of Allegiance. ...And that's what makes her expulsion a serious legal issue. The NFL is privately owned, and allowed to expel... Continue Reading →
The NFL had it's annual meeting in New York City on Tuesday, and it was decided that players can't be penalized for kneeling during the National Anthem. In addition, the NFL will also support the causes for which these players are kneeling- specifically for protests agains the criminal justice system. I'm surprised by the NFL's... Continue Reading →
This summer, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a lawsuit against the President of the United States, Donald Trump after he blocked seven individuals from the organization on Twitter. Attorneys from the Department of Justice have asked for this lawsuit, which would take place in a New York Federal Court, to be... Continue Reading →
As a student journalist, a lot goes through my head nowadays when I watch the news. There's an uprising of general distrust of what some call "the media". Viewers tend to identify the press as the media, which I don't understand. Media encompasses several fields; there isn't a giant, all-powerful group of publishers that make up a... Continue Reading →
According to Lewis in Freedom for the Thought That We Hate, “The interest of privacy was first authoritatively weighed against the First Ammendment’s guarantee of free expression by the Supreme Court in 1967, in the case of Time, Inc V. Hill. In summary, The Hills and their children were kept hostage in their home by... Continue Reading →
"The truth is the law can only do so much [...] it comes down to us. And to fundamentally changing the way we think about the Internet. Because too often you hear people play down the dangers of the internet saying, "well relax, its not real life" ,but it is. And it always has been."... Continue Reading →
It's amazing how cultures evolve, especially when looking at how society has viewed "obscenity". While freedictionary.com defines obscenity as, "the character or quality of being obscene; an act, utterance, or item tending to corrupt the public morals by its indecency or lewdness", it's broader than that. One of the first short films banned was "Carmencita" (1894),... Continue Reading →
Chapter five of Anthony Lewis’s book, Freedom for the Thought that we Hate, discussed the way in which privacy intersects with the first amendment. Lewis discussed the story of William Sidis, a child genius whose father thrust him into the spotlight, who later attempted to live a private life, but failed to maintain this lifestyle... Continue Reading →
There have been many times where I have voluntarily given up different parts of my freedom. If I’m going to a public event my bag is almost always checked, when I’m starting a new job I’m expected to go through multiple background checks, and when flying I am processed patted down and checked. The reason... Continue Reading →
Free Press Free Speech 