Journalists’ Exceptions of the First Amendment
“Accordingly, the government may not interfere with programs or engage in prior constraint, although it may punish broadcasters for the indecency of profanity after the fact.” I choose this quote because it correlates with my everyday experiences. A few months ago, a particular reality TV show was brought to a standstill for broadcasting indecent content. At first, the show was exciting to watch, but after some time it started airing content almost similar to pornography. After complaints from people especially in twitter and Facebook, the administration had no choice but to stop airing the show.
Not so long ago another television show was nearly cancelled. The respective journalist was under intense pressure to stop airing the show as most parents were complaining of their kids watching indecent content. Another scenario that still is evident today is the issue of blogging. So many journalists have been found to add incorrect information to publications, especially in celebrity interviews (Ruane, Kathleen n .p).
According to chapter 16, there are a variety of exceptions to the 1st amendment. The United States’ court came to a verdict that the 1st amendment should not provide any protection to child labour, obscenity, or speeches that are widely referred to as “fighting words.” Moreover, the court decided to offer half of the protection given to address public employees and broadcasts through radio and television. The main reason for doing this was to prevent broadcasters from taking advantage of the situation to produce immoral content. Besides, journalists get half protection when they deliver a commercial speech, a speech that can cause harm and defamation to young children or one that looks like slander or rebel (Cohen n .p).
Response
Hi DJ, I agree with your statement that broadcasters need to take caution on what they say and how they say it. Indeed keywords used by journalists could alter the entire message and could either case a negative or a favourable implication, especially to children. Therefore as much as journalists enjoy the benefits of the first amendment, government restrictions should be imposed. Besides, the government should be strict when enforcing these measures to promote decency and morality for the future of our young generation.
Works cited
Cohen, Henry. Freedom of speech and press: Exceptions to the First Amendment. Vol. 95. No. 815. DIANE Publishing, 2010.
Ruane, Kathleen Ann. Freedom of speech and press: Exceptions to the First Amendment. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2014.