First Amendment Paper

Words: 1364
Pages: 6

The First Amendment
Freedom is being breached all over the U.S and most of it is being taken away from the press. Sure the Patriot Act is killing everyone's privacy in secrecy all over the US, but journalists and reporters are being put in jail right and left. The government has infringed on their rights in a way that should not be with the first amendment. It seems like the more people let the government do, the more steps the government takes to take first amendment rights from people. For instance the secret spying on people from government organizations, the quiet protest of a man who was brutally beat and sent to jail, the beginning of punishment comparison to a communist country, and the severe punishment of a man who would did
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"Zhao Yan was charged by Chinese authorities with the capital crime of leaking state secrets after his employer… and faces a harsh sentence." This is a man who was prosecuted for treason just like Judith Miller. "That is why Judith Miller, also a Times employee, has been incarcerated nearly three months in a federal prison, the longest term ever served by a newspaper reporter in the United States." Seeing how both people are from totally different countries, there seems to be a problem. "The Times reports that 30 other journalists are in jail in China right now on similar charges." The constitution is very clear on how it says that the government should not infringe on peoples rights and all, but how can two people from way different cultures get similar punishments. Government people can interpret the first amendment the way they want. So it is not the constitution that needs change, it is the people that are taking it away and using in their favor. "We have the First Amendment to protect journalists…" Basically stating that the first amendment is there but it is losing its power for people to use.
"Journalist to reveal who gave him an FBI video-surveillance tape showing a city official taking a bribe." This is talking about a man named Taricani who would not