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THIS IS ARCHIVED CONTENT FOR HISTORICAL REFERENCE ONLY FIRST VOICES Landmark First Amendment Research Ball State’s First Amendment institute has launched a landmark research project with 5,000 high school principals nationwide. J-Ideas, a 5-year-old effort to support student journalism and First Amendment awareness, is reaching out to 5,000 principals to gauge their knowledge level and support for the First Amendment of the Constitution. The research coincides with Sunshine Week, a national effort to support Freedom of Information, an important principle of the First Amendment. <more> -Ignoramcer in Palin, Dowd free-speech remarks -Plainfield pays respect to First Amendment -Author creates First Amendment 'primer' -New President must revive Constitution -Traditional news misses Edwards escapade -Protesters' rights fenced off -Bad year for traditional news gatherers -Baseball and the First Amendment -Principals and the First Amendment -Thoughts from the annual U.S. editors convention -Need for print journalism remains -The First Amendment at the Alamo -Author creates First Amendment 'primer' -Unlikely First Amendment hero -Harrison represented Hoosiers proudly -Online course wraps for the fall -Blogs grow in influence, but beware of anonymity -Parent rides the bench after blog posting -Student journalist's actions serves profession poorly -Remembering the courageous Elijah Parish Lovejoy -First Amendment protects unpopular speech, too Student journalists scoop professional press
Mile high with the First Amendment... We were north of the Mile High City near the Rocky Mountains. The principals were voluntarily descending—not from the tall peaks but from their position abutting the summit of school hierarchy. When they reached level ground, we could see each other more clearly. And clear sight leads to insight. <more > |
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Watson Call it Palin-tology – the study of truthfulness by a here-to-fore unknown political candidate, vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin. It follows other political courses like Obama-tology, Biden-tology and McCain-tology, referring to Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John McCain, candidates already vetted. Just how truthful are the words of our candidates? The First Amendment protects noble speech, truthful speech , even stupid speech. Unfortunately, it also protects speech that is untruthful. As Star editor Dennis Ryerson said in a recent column, it’s important for Americans to hold political speech to a truthfulness litmus test. It is difficult in this age of high-priced TV ads to discern the truthfulness of our over-funded candidates. Rampant bomb-throwing proliferates, much of it irresponsible. Consider as a tool a web site called www.politifact.com, a product of the diligent reporting staffs of the Pulitzer Prize winning St. Petersburg Times and its affiliate Congressional Quarterly. The site seeks to decipher sketchy claims by the candidates. By the same token, the factcheckers discovered that Palin never sought to have books banned in her town, as email chain letters allege. You’ll also find that Obama is not Muslim, as others suggest. As the election approaches, the pace of the smears and half-truths will no doubt increase. Remember, it’s up to all of us to seek truth.
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