Journalism, Democracy and The First Amendment

     A democracy needs journalism and the First Amendment because one simply cannot truly exist without the other. Democracy needs journalism and the First Amendment because the First Amendment because the First Amendment and journalism need democracy. Without a government for the people by the people, of the people, journalism, with its ethics, standards, and responsibilities to report the truth as accurately as possible, could not survive. A government that tightly controls its media, thereby its journalists, is able to regulate the content of its news and information in such a way that democratic nations cannot and do not, thankfully.
      Journalism, in its very nature, is investigative and informative and without the basic protections provided to us in the First Amendment we could not truly be journalists. Hell, without the basic freedoms protected and provided for us in the First Amendment we could not truly be citizen of a democracy. The picture above illustrates this point in this simplest way possible. With a famous symbol everyone already recognizes and with a simple message: Your First Amendment Needs You. The First Amendment needs you, as a citizen, and/or journalist, of a democratic nation, to protect it. The First Amendment protects you as an individual and you as a journalist. As the picture says, it is YOUR First Amendment and as a journalist, not to mention a citizen of a democracy you should protect it, because one cannot exist without the other. Without the freedom of speech and press, journalism, like many other things, would be either eliminated or wholly obsolete. Would it actually even be journalism at that point? Why would it really matter to print what you’re bring told if it’s not the real truth? Isn’t that a major objective of journalism, to print the truth?

Q&A

Now tell me again, what is your definition of journalism?
     Journalism is the commercial art of reporting the truth.  

How many different models of journalism exist today?
     There are three different models: traditional elite, advocacy and public/civic journalism.

What is your definition of democracy?
     Democracy is a type of government that is run by elected representatives chosen by the people.

What is the difference between “election politics” and “public politics”?
     While I honestly have no idea, in my opinion election politics are the promises and appearances candidates make and put on when they are campaiging for an office. Public politics are more real, transparent decision making. There are not fronts or facades or calculated moves the way there are in election politics.  

What was the Lippmann v. Dewey debate?
     Walter Lippmann believed that the world and government was too complex for a single individual to comprehend and they should be represented by specialized elites. George Dewey, however, believed people were smarter than this and should be able to make thier own decisions about politics. To Dewey, everyone, including the people and specialized elites, should be held liable, not just the government.

What does the First Amendment say exactly?
     "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Photo by Chuck "Caveman" Coker, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs

Are any of those protections important in your life?
     All of these protections are important in my life. As a journalism student this blog could not exist without this amendment.

Everybody keeps talking about diversity: Why is diversity in religion, speech, press, assembly and petition so important to a democracy?
     Diversity fosters different opinions, ideas, and beliefs. This dissimilarity in people shows us new ways to approach situations and new ways to think about things.

How do journalists and the First Amendment ensure that people hear diverse voices in the marketplace of ideas?
     The First Amendment protects journalists' right to be the diverse voices. Without the freedom of speech and press afford by the First Amendment.

Can you speak from personal experience about how diversity, protected by the First Amendment or championed by journalists, made a difference in your life?
     The First Amendment protect my dream of being a journalists. Without the First Amendment there would be reason for me to be attended the University of Kentucky since I, along with everyone else, would not have the freedom of speech or press along with the other basic rights the First Amendment protects.