Monthly Archives: February 2017

The Knight Foundation, an organization that invests in journalism, the arts and technology, recently released a survey showing high school students support of the First Amendment is the highest it has been in a decade, according to a press release.

In a survey of almost 12,000 high school students and 726 teachers, 91 percent expressed their agreement that people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions, compared to 83 percent who took the survey in 2004, according to the press release.

Over half of students felt normal individuals should have the same publishing rights as professional journalists.

Students also felt that they should be able to document activities involving the police as long as they are not interfering, according to the release.

Both Connecticut high school and University of Connecticut students weighed in on the survey results, giving their opinions about freedom of speech.

Henry Ortiz, a sophomore at the CT River Academy in East Hartford, agreed that people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions.

I feel that people should be able to say what they want. Everyone is allowed to say how they feel, even when they are wrong, Ortiz said.

Second-semester psychology major Juwan Rosa had a similar response.

Everyone thinks in different ways. As a result, everyone has different opinions. Sometimes it is better if someone says an unpopular opinion because those around can understand why the opinion exists, Rosa said.

Both students said they felt freedom of speech was important, and without it, ideas would not be able to be shared.

In response to the survey question about documenting the police, both Rosa and Ortiz also agreed that people should be able to videotape police officers actions as long as they are not interfering.

Police officers are employees of the state, generally things involving state are public. Why shouldnt the way a cop treats an individual be as well? Rosa said.

Continued here:
First amendment receives more support - UConn Daily Campus

Norwich Universitys Sullivan Museum and History Center will host a lunch and learn program on the First Amendment in conjunction with a national, pop-up exhibit commemorating the 225thanniversary of the Bill of Rights.

OnWednesday, Feb. 22, atnoon, The Sullivan Museum and History Centerpresents, A Living Document: The First Amendment, Past, Present and Future, a talk by Austin Gray, attorney and longtime professor of civil liberties and Constitutional law. The event includes a light lunch and is free and open to the public.

Gray, of law firm Gray Law PLLC in Barre, Vt., has been teaching at the university level for 20 years and is one of the founding faculty of the Master of Law program at Champlain College. He also teaches Civil Liberties and Constitutional Law at Norwich University. A graduate of Temple University School of Law, Gray is a member of the Vermont, Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations.

This presentation is held in conjunction with a new pop-up exhibition from theNational Archives,The Bill of Rights and You,commemorating the 225th anniversary of the ratification of this landmark document. This exhibit spotlights one of the most remarkable periods in American history,explores the origins of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution (collectively known as the Bill of Rights), illustrates how each amendment protects U.S. citizens, and looks at how Americans exercise the rights outlined in the amendments. The Bill of Rightsand Youinvites visitors to connect directly with the people, places, and events that mark this historic documents evolution. The exhibit will be on display in the Museums Rotunda throughMarch 15, 2017.

The Bill of Rights and Youco-curator Jennifer Johnson states: "The Bill of Rights represents the Founder's vision that it would be the people, through votes, that could change the Constitution with enough consensus. And when the people desired a Bill of Rights, our first 10 amendments were added to our governing charter."

Visitors are also encouraged to engage in a dialogue by answering the question: What Does Freedom Mean to You? A message board in the Museum Rotunda is available to post your own personal answer.

The Bill of Rights and Youis organized by the National Archives and Records Administration, and traveled by the National Archives Traveling Exhibits Service (NATES). This exhibition was developed in collaboration with the National Archives National Outreach Initiative to commemorate the 225thAnniversary of the Bill of Rights. The exhibition is presented in part by AT&T, Seedlings Foundation, and the National Archives Foundation.

This exhibit is brought to you in collaboration with the Vermont Humanities Council and the Federation of State Humanities Councils. A statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1974, the Vermont Humanities Council strives to make Vermont a state in which every individual reads, participates in public affairs, and continues to learn throughout life.

Norwich Universitys Sullivan Museum and History Center is the only museum in Vermont to be named a Smithsonian Affiliate.Currently, there are two exhibitions focusing on the year leading up the 100thAnniversary of World War One and the 75thAnniversary of World War Two. These exhibits are on display through May 2017 and include various items from the university collection as well as borrowed materials. Some of the artifacts on exhibit include: trench art, World War One and Two posters, patriotic jewelry, artwork, uniforms, medals, objects from the field, weapons and other items from our collection.

The museum is open to the public from 8 until 4 Monday through Friday, but is closed on holidays. Admission is free.For more information about the programs or exhibit, please call802-485-2183or visithttp://academics.norwich.edu/museum.

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Lunch & Learn on the First Amendment - The Northfield News

Whitaker will be honored next month with a prestigious award for his contribution as a journalist to the protection of First Amendment freedoms

CBS News

Bill Whitaker, the veteran CBS newsman and 60 Minutes correspondent, will be honored with the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award, the Radio Television Digital News Foundation announced. Whitaker will receive the award at the RTDNFs annual First Amendment Awards dinner on March 14 in Washington, DC.

RTDNF presents this award annually to a radio or television journalist or news executive who has made a major contribution to the protection of First Amendment freedoms. It is named for the late Broadcasting & Cable senior correspondent, Leonard Zeidenberg.

Whitaker joins past CBS News Ziedenberg winners Walter Cronkite, Ed Bradley, Mike Wallace, Bob Schieffer and Cami McCormick, and other notable journalists who have won the award, including Diane Sawyer, Lester Holt and Judy Woodruff.

Whitaker has been wide-ranging and prolific in his 60 Minutes reporting on domestic and international stories since joining the broadcast in 2014. He recently chronicled the vetting process for Syrian refugees coming to the U.S. He has reported from Asia, Africa, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East for the news magazine, including a timely interview with Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an Emmy-winning story on the biggest data leak in Swiss banking history. Domestically, his stories have provided keen insights into the hot-button issue of race and policing in America, the death penalty and Americas heroin epidemic. He has chronicled the epic battle to capture and hold Mexicos infamous drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, gaining rare access to investigations on both sides of the border.

During his more than 30 years with CBS News, Whitaker has covered three presidential campaigns; the O.J. Simpson case; overseas wars and events; and interviewed several national figures, including First Lady Michelle Obama.

Whitaker began his career at CBS News in 1984 as a reporter based in Atlanta, where he covered the 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis and received an Emmy for his reports on the collapse of Jim and Tammy Bakkers television ministry. He then spent three years as a CBS News Tokyo correspondent, developing an impressive portfolio as a foreign correspondent. He covered stories throughout Asia, including the pro-democracy uprising in Tiananmen Square.

In 1992, Whitaker was sent to Los Angeles, where he reported for over 20 years on the CBS Evening News and other CBS News broadcasts, including Sunday Morning.

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60 Minutes' Bill Whitaker to receive the RTDNF First Amendment ... - CBS News