Legal Question in Constitutional Law in District of Columbia
freedome of the presss
My questions are, how have the events of September 11 affected freedom of the press and free speech in the U.S.? What measure can the media take in preventing infringement on their rights? What other means should the government take in protecting national security and patriotism besides regulating what the press says?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: freedome of the presss
The question you have asked is more political than legal, in my view. Our First Amendment rights have been in no way impaired or compromised
by the events of 9-11 as far as I can determine.
If government prosecutors demand that journalists
turn over their sources of confidential information to aid in an investigation, the reporters should refuse if they believe it would be a violation of their ethical standards, and be willing to spend some time in jail, if necessary, to uphod those standards.
The government is not regulating "what the press says". As far as protecting national security and
patriotism, the promulgation of color coded schemes by the Department of Homeland Security, purportedly, to alert the populace to
perceived levels of threat by our government,
are not likely to be of much use in achieving this objective.
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