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ml

http://tinyurl.com/3hwv2

Freedom of what?

First Amendment no big deal, students say

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The way many high school students see it,
government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag
burning is hardly protected free speech.

It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of
those nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of
high school attitudes released Monday.

The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the
way of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of
religion, speech, press and assembly.

Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one
in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it
guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be
allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.

"These results are not only disturbing; they are dangerous," said
Hodding Carter III, president of the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation, which sponsored the $1 million study. "Ignorance about the
basics of this free society is a danger to our nation's future."

The students are even more restrictive in their views than their
elders, the study says.

When asked whether people should be allowed to express unpopular
views, 97 percent of teachers and 99 percent of school principals said
yes. Only 83 percent of students did.

The results reflected indifference, with almost three in four students
saying they took the First Amendment for granted or didn't know how
they felt about it. It was also clear that many students do not
understand what is protected by the bedrock of the Bill of Rights.

Three in four students said flag burning is illegal. It's not. About
half the students said the government can restrict any indecent
material on the Internet. It can't.

"Schools don't do enough to teach the First Amendment. Students often
don't know the rights it protects," Linda Puntney, executive director
of the Journalism Education Association, said in the report. "This all
comes at a time when there is decreasing passion for much of anything.
And, you have to be passionate about the First Amendment."

The partners in the project, including organizations of newspaper
editors and radio and television news directors, share a clear
advocacy for First Amendment issues.

Federal and state officials, meanwhile, have bemoaned a lack of
knowledge of U.S. civics and history among young people. Sen. Robert
Byrd, D-West Virginia, has even pushed through a mandate that schools
must teach about the Constitution on September 17, the date it was
signed in 1787.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut,
is billed as the largest of its kind. More than 100,000 students,
nearly 8,000 teachers and more than 500 administrators at 544 public
and private high schools took part in early 2004.

The study suggests that students embrace First Amendment freedoms if
they are taught about them and given a chance to practice them, but
schools don't make the matter a priority.

Students who take part in school media activities, such as student
newspapers or TV production, are much more likely to support
expression of unpopular views, for example.

About nine in 10 principals said it is important for all students to
learn some journalism skills, but most administrators say a lack of
money limits their media offerings.

More than one in five schools offer no student media opportunities; of
the high schools that do not offer student newspapers, 40 percent have
eliminated them in the last five years.

"The last 15 years have not been a golden era for student media," said
Warren Watson, director of the J-Ideas project at Ball State
University in Indiana. "Programs are under siege or dying from
neglect. Many students do not get the opportunity to practice our
basic freedoms."

I don't know if you heard but there are 30 states teaching sex education

--
Ben Caradoc-Davies <ben@wintersun.org>
http://wintersun.org/
--
_______________________________________________
To unsubscribe from the EFA stop-censorship list:
email "unsubscribe [your password]" to stop-censorship-
request@lists.efa.org.au
(no quotes or brackets), or visit this web page:
http://lists.efa.org.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/stop-censorship
--
epicurus1*at*optusnet*dot*com*dot*au
apatriot #1, atheist #1417,
Chief EAC prophet
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pk1956/

Apatriotism Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/apatriotism

Sunday: A day given over by Americans to wishing that they themselves
were dead and in Heaven, and that their neighbors were dead and in
Hell.

-Mencken

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/01/31/students.amendment.ap/index.ht
ml

http://tinyurl.com/3hwv2

Freedom of what?

First Amendment no big deal, students say

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The way many high school students see it,
government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag
burning is hardly protected free speech.

It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of
those nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of
high school attitudes released Monday.

The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the
way of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of
religion, speech, press and assembly.

Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one
in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it
guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be
allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.

"These results are not only disturbing; they are dangerous," said
Hodding Carter III, president of the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation, which sponsored the $1 million study. "Ignorance about the
basics of this free society is a danger to our nation's future."

The students are even more restrictive in their views than their
elders, the study says.

When asked whether people should be allowed to express unpopular
views, 97 percent of teachers and 99 percent of school principals said
yes. Only 83 percent of students did.

The results reflected indifference, with almost three in four students
saying they took the First Amendment for granted or didn't know how
they felt about it. It was also clear that many students do not
understand what is protected by the bedrock of the Bill of Rights.

Three in four students said flag burning is illegal. It's not. About
half the students said the government can restrict any indecent
material on the Internet. It can't.

"Schools don't do enough to teach the First Amendment. Students often
don't know the rights it protects," Linda Puntney, executive director
of the Journalism Education Association, said in the report. "This all
comes at a time when there is decreasing passion for much of anything.
And, you have to be passionate about the First Amendment."

The partners in the project, including organizations of newspaper
editors and radio and television news directors, share a clear
advocacy for First Amendment issues.

Federal and state officials, meanwhile, have bemoaned a lack of
knowledge of U.S. civics and history among young people. Sen. Robert
Byrd, D-West Virginia, has even pushed through a mandate that schools
must teach about the Constitution on September 17, the date it was
signed in 1787.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut,
is billed as the largest of its kind. More than 100,000 students,
nearly 8,000 teachers and more than 500 administrators at 544 public
and private high schools took part in early 2004.

The study suggests that students embrace First Amendment freedoms if
they are taught about them and given a chance to practice them, but
schools don't make the matter a priority.

Students who take part in school media activities, such as student
newspapers or TV production, are much more likely to support
expression of unpopular views, for example.

About nine in 10 principals said it is important for all students to
learn some journalism skills, but most administrators say a lack of
money limits their media offerings.

More than one in five schools offer no student media opportunities; of
the high schools that do not offer student newspapers, 40 percent have
eliminated them in the last five years.

"The last 15 years have not been a golden era for student media," said
Warren Watson, director of the J-Ideas project at Ball State
University in Indiana. "Programs are under siege or dying from
neglect. Many students do not get the opportunity to practice our
basic freedoms."


--
Ben Caradoc-Davies <ben@wintersun.org>
http://wintersun.org/
--
_______________________________________________
To unsubscribe from the EFA stop-censorship list:
email "unsubscribe [your password]" to stop-censorship-
request@lists.efa.org.au
(no quotes or brackets), or visit this web page:
http://lists.efa.org.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/stop-censorship

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/01/31/students.amendment.ap/index.ht ml

http://tinyurl.com/3hwv2

Freedom of what?

First Amendment no big deal, students say

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The way many high school students see it, government
censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag burning is
hardly protected free speech.

It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of those
nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of high school
attitudes released Monday.

The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the way
of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of religion,
speech, press and assembly.

Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in
three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it
guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to
publish freely without government approval of stories.

"These results are not only disturbing; they are dangerous," said Hodding
Carter III, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which
sponsored the $1 million study. "Ignorance about the basics of this free
society is a danger to our nation's future."

The students are even more restrictive in their views than their elders,
the study says.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/01/31/students.amendment.ap/index.ht
ml

http://tinyurl.com/3hwv2

Freedom of what?

First Amendment no big deal, students say

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The way many high school students see it,
government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag
burning is hardly protected free speech.

It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of
those nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of
high school attitudes released Monday.

The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the
way of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of
religion, speech, press and assembly.

Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one
in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it
guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be
allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.