Media Alliance received this solicitation this morning.
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Dear Ms. Rosenberg,
My name is XX and I work for The Washington Times in Washington, D.C. I’m reaching out to you inviting the Media Alliance to participate in the annual Constitution Day Special section which is a joint project is the of The Constitutional Sources Project and The Washington Times.
This year’s special section, publishes on September 12, focuses on the hot-button issue of Freedom of Speech. We are developing a superb lineup of opinions written from various political perspectives on this subject. We want your opinion and your perspective as well. Continue reading Republican Op-Ed Space Costs $7 A Word→
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is one of the most important tools for investigative journalism.
MA joined with over 50 civil liberties organizations to press Congress to reform and improve FOIA to facilitate government transparency and the informed consent of the American people to the actions taken in their name. Continue reading Improving FOIA→
High school students continue to find that their First Amendment rights are invisible to school administrators, despite years of struggle against censorship. In the ’60s, students at some schools published underground papers because their school-run papers were so heavily censored. In the ’70s and ’80s, a consensus grew that First Amendment protections extended to the official student press, and school newspapers were allowed to tackle controversial topics. But high school journalists found this freedom short-lived. In a 1988 case involving Hazelwood East High School near St. Louis, where student journalists wanted to publish stories on teenage pregnancy and divorce in the school newspaper, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled five to three that principals have the right to censor school papers. The majority opinion said that school-sponsored newspapers and similar activities are not intended as a public forum for student views, but are part of the curriculum and therefore subject to official control to ensure that they meet program purposes. After announcing the decision, Justice Byron R. White added that a school need not tolerate student speech that is incongruous with the educational goals of the institution–although the government could not censor similar speech outside school grounds. Continue reading STUDENTS STRUGGLE AGAINST CENSORSHIP, by Lian Cheun→
A delegation of nine journalists organized by Media Alliance and Global Exchange visited Cuba for eight days in April and May. The U. S. government places severe restrictions on Americans who want to travel to Cuba–journalists are among the few who can freely travel there–but the Cubans (and their government) welcome visitors from their powerful northern neighbor. The delegation, hosted in Cuba by Radio Havana, met with Cuban and international journalists, representatives of women’s and community organizations, economists, health practitioners, and others–including some really good salsa dancers. In this article, one of the gals on the bus, ACLU News editor Elaine Elinson( front right), shares a few of her impressions.Continue reading HAVANA JOURNAL, by Elaine Elinson→
Writers and photographers during the Vietnam war considered it their responsibility to expose the lies of the Pentagon’s propaganda machine, and they often did so brilliantly. But reporters during Desert Storm and in the war in Afghanistan have generally accepted a different role, willingly or unwillingly, and pictured those wars within the political limits dictated by Generals Schwartzkopf and Franks. Continue reading INTERVIEW: LINDA FOLEY, PRESIDENT NEWSPAPER GUILD. by David Bacon.→
