Blog post #3: Eight Values of Free Expression

 

The Eight Values of Free Expression closely corresponds to the First Amendment. These speech theories essentially state why Americans should be free to express themselves in multiple ways. Below are a few theories that I believe are most important: 

TikTok

Marketplace of Ideas:

John Milton suggest that when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out. And the grappling makes the truth even stronger. 

Currently happening in the United States, is a debate to ban TikTok. The TikTok ban is a bill that was passed by the House of Representatives March 3rd, 2024. According to the House, "if China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake, as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company’s current ownership structure is a national security threat". The bill is now on the way to Senate where a decision is yet to be made. 

This theory is important to me because the government should not be controlling what apps or websites citizens can access. TikTok is a source for entertainment, news outlets, a platform for creators, and even serves as a community for small business owners to promote their business. Banning TikTok would cause a major backlash as some are losing money due to using their platform as their job while others losing their main source of entertainment. This app allows people to be themselves as well as being creative in their own ways.

Protect Dissent:

Steve Shiffrin suggest that our system is not supposed to be one of mob rule. The First Amendment protects minority views, no matter how unpopular. You have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government as well as everyone else. In fact, it is our patriotic duty to criticize the government.

It is well known that former President Donald Trump criticizes the government. After the January 6th, 2021 incident, the government has been quick to charge the former President with all different kinds of charges and accusations. Currently the Supreme Court ruled that States cannot remove Donals Trump off the ballot which elections coming up soon.  It is a big debate on whether the former President's speech violates the First Amendment. Donald Trump's speech on Jan. 6, 2021, was pure speech and was protected. This theory is important because its known that the government did not like the speech Donald Trump gave. His biggest point was how the election from that year had been rigged. When searching online you can find that half of the Americans believe the same things as the former President. So why is the government only going after one person? 

Donald Trump Jan. 6, 2021 Speech

This theory brings me back to the term prior restraint we learned in class. Prior restraint is when the government stops you from speaking or writing before you even have done it. I believe this is the exact problem currently happening with Donald Trump. For quite a while the government took measures to ban Trump's twitter account so he was not able to voice his thoughts. Connecting back to this theory you are protected by the First Amendment to criticize the government which what Donald Trump is doing. 

Blog post #2: The Supreme Court

  

            There are nine individuals who make up the highest court in the United States. The powerful statement written on top of the entrance of the Supreme Court, "Equal Justice Under Law," emphasizes the responsibility the Supreme Court has in The United States of America. Below are the history and workings of the Supreme Court: 

Supreme Court Entrance 

After looking through the provided resource, The History Channel  states in 1789 the Supreme Court was established through the Constitution. Congress decided the organization of the Supreme Court resulting in the Judiciary Act of 1789. The first case brought to the Supreme Court was West v. Barnes on August 3, 1791. The justices that make up the Supreme Court are nominated by the President and then confirmed by the U.S. Senate. 

Current Justices 

One thing I learned that I did not know before reading the provided article, is that Engel v. Vitale was ruled by the Supreme Court in 1962. The ruling stated "prayer initiated by and within public schools violates the First Amendment. The justice vote for this case was 6-1.  Engel v. Vitale questioned the boundaries between church and state. Without any knowledge of this case or decision made by the Supreme Court, I assumed that it was just a North Carolina law that schools weren't allowed to hold a prayer. I had no idea that this was a ruling made by the Supreme Court. 

Supreme Court Building 

A shocking fact that I learned through the video provided, is that in Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase was impeached in 1805. He is the only justice in history to be removed from the Supreme Court. The House of Representatives accused Samuel Chase of "refusing to dismiss biased jurors and of excluding or limiting defense witnesses in two politically sensitive cases". It was also stated that he had a bitter attitude. It's also quite shocking to know that only one person in history has been impeached. 

Symbol of the Supreme Court 

An important take-away point from the video, is when it was announced that joining the court is a humbling experience. It then mentioned that a justice once said, "being appointed to the Supreme Court is akin to being stuck by lighting". This shows me how tedious the selection process of becoming a member of the Court is for the applicant as well as all the members involved in deciding if the applicant is a good fit for the Supreme Court. It also points out how powerful the Supreme Court as its the most powerful judicial body on earth. 

Supreme Court Courtroom 

After reading the video and article provided, it changed my perspective on the Supreme Court. I now hold a higher level of respect for all the justices. I was shown first how difficult it is to even become a member  of the Supreme Court and the hearings the applicants attend to decide if they are a good fit. Secondly, I was introduced to the tedious work they complete during their service. They get about 7,000 cases a year that ask to be reviewed. With all the work that the Supreme Court is responsible for, many justices keep serving for years until they retire. 

Blog post #1: Top Five News Sources

Growing up in a world full of technology, it’s easy to access news sources with a simple touch of a button. In today’s society, you’re able to gain information from around the world in just a few seconds, which results in not all new sources being accurate or news sources only showing what they believe should be shown, which initially alters a person’s perspective. It’s important to have access to what is truthful and be able to view the sources you want to look at. Here are my five top new sources I currently use:

TikTok

My top news source that I gain the most information from is TikTok. I find myself on this app daily, whether it’s for entertainment or news updates. Although there are times when TikTok gives information that is false or misleading, I still find myself staying up-to-date with the current news through this app. In some cases, TikTok has helped solve crime-related issues, such as missing people. In 2021, TikTok helped bring attention from all over the world to the Gabby Petito case, which helped provide crucial information when solving the case. Another reason why the app is one of my top news sources is because the content that I view on my For You Page is tailored to my liking, and the news shared on TikTok is made to be understood by my generation. I enjoy how news sources on the app make sure to follow up on the stories instead of leaving the audience to do follow-up research.  

Apple News 

As one who owns most of the Apple products, Apple News is installed on all my devices, as well as those of others who own Apple products. Apple designed their iPhones, laptops, and iPads to show what they call "Top Stories", which deal with national and international news. Even when not accessing the app itself, you can still find the top news by going to your notification tab on your device and see what's currently going on for the day. In fact, I can't recall a time I opened the app because of how convenient the stories on my notification tab are. As of now, Apple News has helped notify me some of what's going on with election-related issues and what the Supreme court is doing.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Salisbury Post 

  The Salisbury Post is a great news outlet that I use when I'm home or to stay up-to-date on news that's happening back at home. This is a local source for me. Salisbury Post is a source I use most often when I need to do some quick research about something happening from home. When I was little and getting news papers was still a common thing, our news papers were actually from The Salisbury Post. I remember I would read out the comic section as well as the weather for the week to my family. This has become a news source that has proven to be trustworthy over the years and one I can always rely on. 

 

WBTV

Another great resource I use when i'm in need of local news is  WBTV, also referred to as "Channel 3". This is a regular news source of mine. My parents always have this channel on at home, as it's been one of their favorites for a long time. This source is great for me when I want to know about news specifically in North Carolina, as WBTV covers Charlotte and most all regions in North Carolina. It is also so familiar to me, that I remember most of the news anchors by name. When not looking at specific news, I use this source to look at the weather as well. WBTV is a trustworthy source that is not biased and shows local and national news. 

CNN

In seventh grade, I was introduced to CNN in my history class. We would watch CNN 10 every week. CNN covers any type of news you can think of, such as politics, travel, and food. I mainly use CNN if I need to find reliable information from news across the country or find myself researching things for school assignments. This source is interactive, as it includes pictures, graphs, fact checks, and analysis. Although I don't use this source as often as others, I like how CNN gives the reader or viewer visual aspects to look at instead of just a story.