February 1, 2005: Headlines: COS - India: Journalism: Freedom of Speech: San Diego Sign On: India RPCV Michael Maidenberg says it is critical that American youth understand why the First Amendment is so important
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February 1, 2005: Headlines: COS - India: Journalism: Freedom of Speech: San Diego Sign On: India RPCV Michael Maidenberg says it is critical that American youth understand why the First Amendment is so important
India RPCV Michael Maidenberg says it is critical that American youth understand why the First Amendment is so important
India RPCV Michael Maidenberg says it is critical that American youth understand why the First Amendment is so important
Survey finds students lack First Amendment knowledge
COX NEWS SERVICE
February 1, 2005
WASHINGTON – Most American high school students lack a full understanding of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, a survey released yesterday said.
Seventy-five percent of 112,000 students surveyed said it is illegal to burn the American flag as a means of political protest, and nearly half believe that the government can censor the Internet.
The survey, commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut, includes responses from 544 randomly selected public, private and parochial high schools.
The survey found that 36 percent of the students believe that newspapers should not be allowed to publish without government approval of stories, and 17 percent of the students believe that the public is prohibited from expressing unpopular opinions.
Overall, the survey found that high school students express little appreciation for the First Amendment's tenets: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble and the right to petition the government.
Nearly three-quarters of student respondents said they either don't know how they feel about First Amendment freedoms or take them for granted.
The survey's findings are "distressing," said Michael Maidenberg, vice president and chief program officer at the Knight Foundation.
Noting President Bush's recent call for expanding democracy around the world, Maidenberg said it is critical that American youth understand why the First Amendment is so important.
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Story Source: San Diego Sign On
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - India; Journalism; Freedom of Speech
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