President Trump And Media Censorship

1697 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How media is important in democracy

President Trump and his administration are again in conflict with the media. This turmoil was brought on by a series of remarks made by the president and his press secretary. He and his press secretary plan to hold the press accountable for their honest but tasteless reporting of the president. The Constitution offers these journalists only limited protection, meaning that only certain protections are allowed under the first amendment. The First Amendment provides minimal protection for the press, and over the past decades, courts have proclaimed that it prohibits censorship by the government and offers slight protection against defamation lawsuits. The protections were originally supposed to be used for political expression, and they still …show more content…

Nowadays, big and small newspapers are closing across the country, and the fight for freedom of the press is dying with them. The fight for freedom of the press includes but is not limited to the belief that we should have stronger laws to protect journalists and reporters. The public’s willingness to be in-the-know has also become increasingly less important. Three-quarters of Americans trusted the media about 50 years ago, and the press translated this unwavering supports as a way to get information. The relationship between the press and government officials has also changed immensely. The press and government officials used to be in constant communication about the facts, but the only time they communicate is to bicker in a he-said-she-said argument fashion. The public used to depend on the media for coverage of political events but the press is now significantly biased and not credible according to viewers of news networks around the …show more content…

Freedom of the press was originally designed to be a form of political expression and it still is nowadays. Since we were not there when the Constitution was written, we must do our best to interpret what the founders meant, but we could be wrong. Even though the actual writing says that the Congress shall make no law restricting freedom of the press, however, I do not believe that means the president is legally obligated to spill his day to day rendezvous to reporters. I just think that is meant to mean that the reporters and journalists have a right to acquire and publish true information through legal ways of gathering such information. The First Amendment was originally written to ensure there would be no legal consequence for speaking out about the government, but we now live in a different world and I feel that the Constitution needs to be applied to the way the country is run

Show More
Related

  • New York Times Co. versus United States: The Security of Secrets

    1965 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Supreme Court case of the New York Times Co. vs. United States there is a power struggle. This struggle includes the entities of the individual freedoms against the interests of federal government. It is well known that the first amendment protects the freedom of speech, but to what extent does this freedom exist. There have been instances in which speech has been limited; Schenck vs. United States(1919) was the landmark case which instituted such limitations due to circumstances of “clear and present danger”. Many have noted that the press serves as an overseer which both apprehends and guides national agenda. However, if the federal government possessed the ability to censor the press would the government restrain itself? In the case of the Pentagon Papers the necessities of individual freedoms supersedes the scope of the national government.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Speech By Clare Boothe Luce

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Clare Boothe Luce, an American journalist and politician, delivered a speech in 1960 to the Women’s National Press Club in front of the American press to criticize journalists for the misinformation they publish in order to challenge them to start publishing the truth rather than writing what the public wants to hear. Luce appeals to the audience of journalists using her role as a politician, comparison, and emphasis to persuade journalists to start writing the truth, no matter how dull, in order for American citizens to truly understand what is going on in today’s society. Throughout the speech, Luce speaks to the audience of journalists about how the information they release shouldn’t be falsified for a myriad of buyers or views. Although

    Read More

  • The Importance of the First Amendment of the United States’ Bill of Rights for Democratic Government and its Citizens

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being expression one of the most important rights of the people to maintain a connected society right to speech should be accepted to do so. The first amendment is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals have. It is fundamental to the existence of democracy and the respect of human dignity. This amendment describes the principal rights of the citizens of the United States. If the citizens were unable to criticize the government, it would be impossible to regulate order. By looking freedom of speech there is also freedom of assembly and freedom of press that are crucial for the United States democracy.

    Read More

  • First Amendment Pros And Cons

    1908 Words  | 4 Pages

    The First Amendment guarantees that congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press. U.S. CONST. amend. I. The courts have heeded the First Amendment’s underlying values in order to determine whether or not recording police officers is a freedom of the press and have answered in the affirmative; they have firmly established that the First Amendment extends further and encompasses a range of conduct related to receiving information and ideas. Glik v. Cunniffe, 655 F.3d 78, 82 (1st Cir. 2011). The Supreme Court has observed that the First Amendment protects the right to gather news from any source by means within the law. See id.at 82.

    Read More

  • Black Press Day

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bonila, Denise M., and Levy, Beth, Eds. The Power of the Press. H. W. Wilson, 1999.

    Read More

  • Does The Government Control Our Rights?

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    As in speech, technology has provided another excuse for government intrusion into the press. The Secret Service can confiscate computers, printers, hard disks, and mail from electronic services they do not consider a press. Entire stores of books and videotapes are seized because of sexually explicit material. The Bill of Rights and the First Amendment exists to protect speech and press that is unpopular. “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression (Steele).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of First Amendment Rights: Freedom Of The Press

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hayes, chapter eight). There, it was ruled that there is no constitutional privilege for journalists. Justice Byron White wrote that the grand jury plays an important, constitutional role that outweighs any burden on newsgathering that might come from the occasional subpoena to reporters. In relation to the same case, three justices wrote a checklist for when the government should be able to require a journalist to reveal his or her sources. Those were: 1. That there is probable cause to believe the journalist has clearly relevant information regarding a specific probable violation of law; 2. That the information cannot be obtained in some other way that does not so heavily infringe on the First Amendment; and 3. That there is a compelling and overriding interest in the information. Even though these guidelines only were made in a dissenting opinion, they have been frequently used in state courts and lower federal courts. In criminal cases in federal courts, the defendant 's Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial or the law enforcements ' need to conduct a full investigation is considered more important (chapter eight). At the same time, the majority of the U.S. states have shield laws that gives a reporter 's privilege, but there does not exist a federal shield law. When taking into consideration that journalists are not protected in federal law in form of a reporters ' privilege or shield law, it might take some of the feeling of freedom away when writing. A press is not free, if it cannot get sources to talk about controversial matters, because they fair to be revealed in court. The press should be able to write about matters such as governmental corruption without risking going to jail when refusing to give up the sources for the story. That the U.S. government is willing to punish journalists that do not reveal their sources jeopardizes the freedom of the

    Read More

  • By George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, And Robert L. Lineberry

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air

    Read More

  • Is Censorship unconstitutional?

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    The First Amendment was made to counteract censorship. Though, it is often believed that it was actually made to allow States to punish rather than to guarantee freedom of expression. To counteract this, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed in 1798. These acts made it illegal to print “False, Scandalous and Malicious writing (“Censorship, Press and Artistic”). “

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Media Has Gone Downhill

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is not uncommon to hear people complaining about what they hear on the news. Everyone knows it and the media themselves knows it as well. Some of the most renowned journalists have even covered the the media’s issues in detail. Biased news outlets have flooded everyday news. We find that journalism’s greatest problems lie in the media’s inability for unbiased reporting, the tendency to use the ignorance of their audience to create a story, and their struggles to maintain relevance.

    Read More

  • The First Amendment

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1st Amendment forbids Congress from enacting laws that would regulate speech or press before publication or punish after publication. At various times many states passed laws in contradiction to the freedoms guaranteed in the 1st Amendment. However broadcast has always been considered a special exemption to free speech laws for two reasons. 1) the most important reasons is the scarcity of spectrum and the 2) is the persuasiveness of the medium. Because radio and TV come into the house, and may be heard or seen by unsupervised children, the government feels a special responsibility to protect the American people. As Herbert Hoover said to, "doublegaurd them."

    Read More

  • The Importance of Accuracy in Journalism

    1913 Words  | 4 Pages

    The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person’s fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting the information out correctly at the first publishing by taking the time to make sure all facts are checked. The importance of having a system of checks on all information submitted is paramount. People trust what they read and believe it to be so without always questioning. If all information were to not be checked thoroughly, there would be instances where people read an article only for information included to be wrong and they go on believing such information. This can be very dangerous as misinformed people make misinformed decisions. With an increase in errors being made by citizen bloggers and even major publications, many are worried that journalistic ethics and credibility in the news media are being sacrificed in order to maintain swiftness in the news circuit and to retain personal profits. Though getting information to the masses quickly is a major part of the media’s importance, this should not mean that the credibility of that information being presented should be sacrificed for it...

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Media on Politics

    4123 Words  | 9 Pages

    Americans look to the press to provide the information they need to make informed political choices. How well the press lives up to its responsibility to provide this information has a direct impact upon Americans: how they think about and act upon the issues that confront them.

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact of Media Censorship

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    Every human possesses some guaranteed basic freedoms and rights, whether it is the freedom of speech, or the freedom to express themselves. However, the government seems to be increasingly determined to limit these freedoms using censorship to confine these rights that we usually take for granted. The most important facet of media in general is that it allows people to express themselves freely. In fact, this freedom of expression that music allows us is one of the primary reasons why it exists. Sadly, many of the current artists have forgotten that, but nonetheless, censorship seems to always be there to limit the expression of those who choose to place deeper messages in their songs. Tackling censorship is much more important than it appears to be at the surface; to take down censorship would help preserve the expression of thought. It would help preserve the right to listen to the unaltered forms of everything. Most importantly, it would help preserve the rapidly weakening basic right of speech.

    Read More

  • Censorship Limits Freedom of Speech

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    The first amendment grants the freedom of the press, speech, and religion. The first amendment also grants that the media is immune from

    Read More

More about President Trump And Media Censorship

Open Document