Why_the_First_Amendment_Might_Be_in_Trouble

Siyan (Joann) Wen HCC-Engl 1302 – Section #99222 Draft 3 – Midterm Essay Why the First Amendment (and Journalism) Might Be in Trouble The United States has been a role model proudly for individual freedom and rights for the past 200 years. Ask anybody the single best word to describe America; everybody will shout “freedom!” But if you ask any citizens of the five freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment, less than 5 out of 100 will name it correctly. In Ken Dautrich and John Bare’s “Why the First Amendment Might Be in Trouble” an article published by Nieman Reports in the summer of 2005, Dautrich and Bare assert the ignorance and indifference by young generations today of the first amendment and they claim urgent education and resources high school students need to raise awareness of the cornerstone in our way of life. Dautrich and Bare argue high school students as well as student leaders should be educated about the First Amendment, raise awareness of it and socialize young generations into the democratic value that were established by the founding fathers, otherwise it would allow government to further intrude on their freedom in the future, and eventually destroy democracy. Both Dautrich and Bare appear to be very educated in the public policy and education field. They come across as profound and thoughtful, the article is very well organized and well written, earning respect of the readers and relatable to scholars as well as influential officials. Further research reveals that they published many books, articles and manuscripts on elections, public opinions, public policy and voting, so they have some vested interest in this debate. The audiences they are targeting are more likely to be high school officials and principals. It could also be high school newspaper editors, roughly between the ages of 14-60. This audience has the access and power to influence high school students in order to educate them about first amendment. Their writing style is quite formal, the choice of words are carefully being used. The authors separate the article into two main points, one is First Amendment Challenges, the other one is proposing some remedies. Dautrich and Bare published this essay during Bush administration, which amid an on going war in Iraq to spread democratic freedoms. We live in a society that value freedom of speech and expression, but these liberties are frequently challenged by the authorities and an increasingly number of high students failed to protect these freedoms. Something needs to be done before the diminishing of democracy. So the purpose of the article is to persuade their audience to take action to educate high school students about awareness of First Amendment, provide them resources and carry out programs. Dautrich and Bare try to prove their points by using statistical data to project the percentage of student’s view on each issue. They conducted a survey among eleven hundred students and eight thousand teachers, and collected multiple valuable data, analyzed them very carefully, and proposed some solutions or remedies that can help with the on-going problem. They use the influence of President Bush on the war of Iraq to address the importance of spreading freedom not only in the US, but world wisely. Dautrich and Bare reason that “Thirty percent of high school students admit that they take First Amendment for granted while another thirty percent of students are indifferent about the issue.” (Dautrich, 463) Also due to lack of support for free speech and free press, some students mistakenly think it’s allowed or acceptable to censor certain information. Some even believes the rights protected by the First Amendment are illegal. The article is very well organized with rhetorical elements as well as the elements of argument such as claims, reasons and evidence. The authors Dautrich and Bare are very influencial in their debate, the purposes of their writing are strongly supported by statistical evidence; their writing style and their background are respected by their targeting audience, the context behind the article also support their purpose of spreading freedom and reinforce the First Amendment. Work Cited Page David Yalof and Ken Dautrich The first amendment and the media in the court of public opinion (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002) Vah, Rod. “High school Journalism Confronts Critical Deadline.” (Journalism Education Association Commission, 1987) Cole, J. Edwin. “Red Ink: a High School Newspaper Dilemma,” (Princeton, N.J: The Newspaper Fund, 1968)