Summary: The Occupy Wall Street Movement

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, although that guarantee is not unrestricted (Applegate, 2007). Freedom of speech should not be subjected to political interference; yet, censorship is necessary in matters of national and military security (Applegate, 2007). Members of the press enjoy the First Amendment of free speech and free expression, but face criminal or tort liability if reporting is done undercover or information is leaked (West, 2014). I believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press is the basic right of all reporters, as it is for all individuals. However, correspondents should conform to the highest ethical standards, respect the privacy of all citizens, and maintain the highest regard for confidentiality

The Occupy movement opposes all forms of injustice and at the cornerstone of its crusade is the objection of the government’s use of “military and police force to prevent freedom of the press” (Occupy Wall Street, 2015, para. 3). The Occupy and worldwide movements staunchly support that “democracy requires the freedom to express one’s views without fear of retribution” (Zhang, Reid, & Xu, 2015). However, history has proven that freedom is gained with considerable sacrifices.
In late 2014 or early 2015, the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo exercised their speech freedom in portraying the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in cartoons (“Standing Up For,” 2015). The cartoons were offensive to Muslims and against Islamic law that forbids depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, which led to a terror attack at the Charlie Hebdo office (Zhang et al., 2015). No amount of violence could ever justify such a savage assault against free expression, but there must be limits set when the conditions necessitate respect for the faith and beliefs of