Essays on Freedom of the press

The first amendment to the constitution guarantees the right of free speech and of the press. Unfortunately, some individuals have used this right to protect themselves from litigation when they produce material that is pornographic, hateful or when they use ethically questionable methods when reporting a story. The government has attempted to intervene through passing…

“Media… are the dominant institutions of contemporary society… to which other institutions must conform. .. ” Altheide & Snow, 1979 The quote with which I begin represents a general viewpoint, which many members of the general public may find hard to believe. When considering our society we immediately think of the government as it”s sole…

“Communication remains God’s great gift to humanity without which we cannot be truly human, reflecting God’s image.” (Cañaberal, 1993, 44) Freedom of speech is a right of individuals as they possess their own free will. Because of their free will, individuals have expressed their thoughts, desires, and aspirations through the mass media. Communicating freely with…

Balancing Individual Privacy with Press Freedom Alan F. Weston, a privacy expert at Columbia university, once wrote: Privacy Is the claim of individuals, groups, or institutions to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them is communicated to others (self information control right). In this age of mass media, individual privacy…

The federal government has the power regulate the advertising of alcohol. This may also raise some question about the constitutional right of the government acting in such manner. Alcohol sold to underage drinkers is a problem but taking away a constitutional right from a company may not be the answer. Analysis of the facts involved…

During the Constitutional Convention of the newly succeed and forming United States of America, many concerns were raised about preventing future restriction and impediment of rights similar to what the citizens’ of the British Crown had experience prior to the Revolutionary War. One of these main concerns stemmed from a lack of a free press,…

From a western perspective, the area of the world known as the Middle East decidedly lacks a number of the freedoms that are present in the United States and Europe. This sentiment is effectively summed up in the following excerpt: “Freedom of the press, a concept touted in much of the Western world, is sadly…