DrSmellThis
01-31-2005, 08:11 PM
This relates to recent discussions in the open forum:
January 31st, 2005 2:06 pm
First
Amendment no big deal, students say
Study shows American teenagers indifferent to
freedoms
Associated Press (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6888837/)
WASHINGTON -
The way many high school students see it, government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag
burning is hardly protected free speech.</FONT>
It turns out
the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of those nearing their own adult independence, according to a
study of high school attitudes released Monday.
The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the way of life in the United
States, promising citizens the freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly.
Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three
high school students said it goes “too far” in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers
should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.
“These results are not only disturbing; they are dangerous,” said Hodding Carter III,
president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which sponsored the $1 million study. “Ignorance about the
basics of this free society is a danger to our nation’s future.”
The students are even more restrictive in their views than their elders, the study
says.
When asked whether people should be
allowed to express unpopular views, 97 percent of teachers and 99 percent of school principals said yes. Only 83
percent of students did.
Indifference,
misunderstanding
The results reflected indifference, with almost three in four students saying they took the
First Amendment for granted or didn’t know how they felt about it. It was also clear that many students do not
understand what is protected by the bedrock of the Bill of Rights.
Three in four students said flag burning is illegal. It’s not. About half the students
said the government can restrict any indecent material on the Internet. It can’t.
“Schools don’t do enough to teach the First Amendment. Students often don’t
know the rights it protects,” Linda Puntney, executive director of the Journalism Education Association, said in the
report. “This all comes at a time when there is decreasing passion for much of anything. And, you have to be
passionate about the First Amendment.”
The
partners in the project, including organizations of newspaper editors and radio and television news directors, share
a clear advocacy for First Amendment issues.
Federal and state officials, meanwhile, have bemoaned a lack of
knowledge of U.S. civics and history among young people. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has even pushed through a
mandate that schools must teach about the Constitution on Sept. 17, the date it was signed in 1787.
The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of
Connecticut, is billed as the largest of its kind. More than 100,000 students, nearly 8,000 teachers and more than
500 administrators at 544 public and private high schools took part in early 2004.
Lack of education
The study suggests that students embrace First
Amendment freedoms if they are taught about them and given a chance to practice them, but schools don’t make the
matter a priority.
Students who take part in
school media activities, such as a student newspapers or TV production, are much more likely to support expression
of unpopular views, for example.
About nine in
10 principals said it is important for all students to learn some journalism skills, but most administrators say a
lack of money limits their media offerings.
More than one in five schools offer no student media opportunities; of the high schools that do
not offer student newspapers, 40 percent have eliminated them in the last five years.
“The last 15 years have not been a golden era for student
media,” said Warren Watson, director of the J-Ideas project at Ball State University in Indiana. “Programs are under
siege or dying from neglect. Many students do not get the opportunity to practice our basic
freedoms.”
January 31st, 2005 2:06 pm
First
Amendment no big deal, students say
Study shows American teenagers indifferent to
freedoms
Associated Press (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6888837/)
WASHINGTON -
The way many high school students see it, government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag
burning is hardly protected free speech.</FONT>
It turns out
the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of those nearing their own adult independence, according to a
study of high school attitudes released Monday.
The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the way of life in the United
States, promising citizens the freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly.
Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three
high school students said it goes “too far” in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers
should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.
“These results are not only disturbing; they are dangerous,” said Hodding Carter III,
president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which sponsored the $1 million study. “Ignorance about the
basics of this free society is a danger to our nation’s future.”
The students are even more restrictive in their views than their elders, the study
says.
When asked whether people should be
allowed to express unpopular views, 97 percent of teachers and 99 percent of school principals said yes. Only 83
percent of students did.
Indifference,
misunderstanding
The results reflected indifference, with almost three in four students saying they took the
First Amendment for granted or didn’t know how they felt about it. It was also clear that many students do not
understand what is protected by the bedrock of the Bill of Rights.
Three in four students said flag burning is illegal. It’s not. About half the students
said the government can restrict any indecent material on the Internet. It can’t.
“Schools don’t do enough to teach the First Amendment. Students often don’t
know the rights it protects,” Linda Puntney, executive director of the Journalism Education Association, said in the
report. “This all comes at a time when there is decreasing passion for much of anything. And, you have to be
passionate about the First Amendment.”
The
partners in the project, including organizations of newspaper editors and radio and television news directors, share
a clear advocacy for First Amendment issues.
Federal and state officials, meanwhile, have bemoaned a lack of
knowledge of U.S. civics and history among young people. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has even pushed through a
mandate that schools must teach about the Constitution on Sept. 17, the date it was signed in 1787.
The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of
Connecticut, is billed as the largest of its kind. More than 100,000 students, nearly 8,000 teachers and more than
500 administrators at 544 public and private high schools took part in early 2004.
Lack of education
The study suggests that students embrace First
Amendment freedoms if they are taught about them and given a chance to practice them, but schools don’t make the
matter a priority.
Students who take part in
school media activities, such as a student newspapers or TV production, are much more likely to support expression
of unpopular views, for example.
About nine in
10 principals said it is important for all students to learn some journalism skills, but most administrators say a
lack of money limits their media offerings.
More than one in five schools offer no student media opportunities; of the high schools that do
not offer student newspapers, 40 percent have eliminated them in the last five years.
“The last 15 years have not been a golden era for student
media,” said Warren Watson, director of the J-Ideas project at Ball State University in Indiana. “Programs are under
siege or dying from neglect. Many students do not get the opportunity to practice our basic
freedoms.”