COMM 306 Lab 6

1. First Amendment Rights Regarding the Press Wall Street Journal Current Legal Situation’s, Public Relations Reminder By: Lindsey Ringwald

3. The First Amendment The foundation of our legal system and any strong public relations team for the Press must rely and fight for First Amendment rights. According to the U.S. Constitution, “Congress shall make no law (…) abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press(…).” http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am1.html

4. How the Law Came to be Enacted December 15, 1791 The First Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights, which is the collective of the first ten amendments in the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights = Puts limitations of control on how much power is given to the U.S. federal government. These limitations protect the natural rights of liberty and property of U.S. citizens.

5. Remain in Compliance with the Law According to Kingdon-Nichols, “When the designers of the First Amendment to the Constitution created the guarantee of “freedom of the press,” the press was inherently charged with objectivity, balance and fairness in its reporting. News was rooted in the facts of an issue or event. The business of mass media has changed that lofty mission somewhat. Dull, fair, objective stories don’t sell newspapers or airtime, and biased reporting and even chicanery have entered journalism. So, while the popular media (newspapers, magazines, television) have traditionally acted as watchdogs of society, some have abrogated their original responsibility to the point where they’ve lost public trust (see the “Press your luck” graph on Page One of May, 2008 Tactics (PRSA Newspaper).” http://kingdon-nichols.com/e-notions_truth.html

6. Therefore… Communications professionals for the press must make sure that all sides are seen from objective reporters and thus develop trust from the public. By presenting all facts and perspective so that all important and relevant information is presented to the public, the audience can make their own opinions about the event.

8. One Final Thing to Remember: Regarding the First Amendment, it is important for communications professionals to ensure that any information given to the public does not cause immediate and eminent danger to any U.S. citizen, company, or the like. It is also vital for these professionals to ensure that information be portrayed in the manner appropriate for the information provided.

9. Sources http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am1.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights http://kingdon-nichols.com/e-notions_truth.html