The First Amendment protects something that our founding fathers held in high regard–the right to free speech, the right to a free press, and the right to peaceably assemble. These rights are more than words on paper. These words are part of a set of guaranteed liberties that have shaped not only our nation, but also the world in which we live today. Yet we, as a people, take these rights for granted.
How many times throughout the course of the day does one consciously think about the right to speak freely? Who honestly thinks about the privilege to read or listen to whatever one wishes without government repercussions?
These questions are not something someone living in America considers on a daily basis. However, if one day the rules changed, and it was not only illegal, but also punishable by death for having dissident publications in one’s possession, people might notice.
Recently there has been a new trend surfacing within both journalism and the legal world. Whether it is due to fear of terrorist attacks or someone just got his feelings hurt, journalists and media workers here in the “good ole U.S.A.” are given jail time, receiving hefty fines or both for not revealing sources.
Common sense says that is wrong. What’s next? Patient/doctor privileges or attorney/client privileges?
Can we as Americans allow the apparent censorship and oppression of those who bring us the news and information we desire so much to go unanswered? No! Any person, whose goal is to report news from anywhere should be able to do so without the fear of government backlash.
The United States of America is a nation comprised of freedom and privilege. Those who settled this nation left their home because of oppression and often censorship. The Constitution is the offspring of those who longed for something better.
Do not let America become a land of oppression and censorship. America is the Land of the Free.
For more information on crimes against those committed to press freedom, go to The Committee to Protect Journalists at http://www.cpj.org.