The Importance of Rights
What have we learned?
Kurt Van Deren
In 1787, delegates of the
thirteen States met in
Philadelphia and drafted a
remarkable document—the
Constitution.
But while the Constitution
outlined what the new
government could do, it did
not define what the
government could not do.
Kurt Van Deren
Having a distrust of government
after having been a part of an
oppressive government in
England, citizens of the thirteen
States wanted a more limited
government.
The solution was a “bill of
rights” limiting the power of
the federal government.
Anti-Federalists thought a list
of specific rights was
unnecessary, but Federalists
refused to agree to the
Constitution without such a
list.
Kurt Van Deren
Those specific rights, which make
up the first ten amendments to the
Constitution, are known as the Bill
of Rights.
The Bill of Rights was
introduced in the first United
States Congress in 1789 by
James Madison.
The Bill of Rights took effect
on December 15, 1791, after
being approved by threefourths of the States.
Kurt Van Deren
What rights does the Bill of Rights protect?
(1) Congress will make no law establishing
or prohibiting a religion, or preventing free
speech, freedom of the press, or free
assembly.
(2) Recognizing the need for a well-armed
militia, you have the right to keep and
bear arms.
(3) You have the right to refuse to allow
soldiers to stay in your home unless
instructed to do so during war time.
(4) You have the right not to be searched
unreasonably, and warrants must only be
issued based on probable cause.
(5) You can’t be tried for a serious crime
without being charged by a Grand Jury,
you can’t be tried twice for the same
crime, and the government can’t take
your property without due process of law.
Kurt Van Deren
What rights does the Bill of Rights protect?
(6) In criminal cases, you have the right to a
speedy trial in front of an impartial jury, to
be told of the charges you face, and to be
represented by an attorney.
(7) You have the right to a jury in certain
civil cases (cases involving disagreements
between two people, instead of cases
involving crimes).
(8) You can’t be required to pay too
much bail or be subject to cruel and
unusual punishment for a crime.
(9) You have other rights, besides those
listed in the Constitution.
(10) The powers not given to the federal
government by the Constitution are left to
the States and to individuals.
Kurt Van Deren
The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or
the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.
• Religion
• Speech
• Press
• Assembly
• Petitition
Matt Kowalski
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
The school paper is censored by
the principal
-- Students need to report all sides of
the story
-- Issues like birth control, divorce,
sexual activity, and teen pregnancy
are not appropriate a high school
newspaper
-- It is within the rights of a school
official to censor material that can
disrupt the school environment or
infringe on any student’s right to
privacy
The student editors believe their
First Amendment rights were
violated
-- Censorship of the press infringes
on First Amendment rights
-- The two removed pages contained
articles besides the ones in question
-- The principal offered the students
no chance to revise the paper for
another publication
-- The students names were changed
to protect their privacy in the two
articles about teen pregnancy and
the impacts of divorce on students
Matt Kowalski
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
• The Hazelwood School district
argued that the paper was
funded by the school and
therefore they had a right to edit
the paper as they saw fit.
• The students argued that the
paper was a public forum and it
was their right and duty to inform
readers on topics that affect their
lives.
• The students believed that these
two articles would not disrupt the
school.
• The case made it to the U.S.
Supreme Court and on Jan. 13,
1985 the Court delivered a split a
5-3 split decision in favor of the
Hazelwood School District. The
decision overruled a Court of
Appeals reversal the original
District Court ruling.
Matt Kowalski
The Press Serves as a Government
Watchdog
• The press informs the public
of the inner workings of
government and the effects
of laws that they pass
• Through investigative
reporting, journalists have
uncovered stories like the
Watergate Scandal and the
human rights violations at
Guantanamo Bay
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp#Statements_by_human_rights_organizations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal
Matt Kowalski
Now that you’ve learned about First
Amendment rights, lets look at how a
journalist puts together an article,
leading to an informed public.
For accurate, unbiased reporting…
• Leave your opinion out of the story.
Include only cited facts and details and
quotes from sources.
• Sources must be identified in the article
and quotes must be word for word.
• Don’t rely on one source. Talk to multiple
people to get all sides of the story.
• Double check your facts. If you aren’t
sure, call your source back.
Omie Drawhorn
The Five W’s, one H
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
Omie Drawhorn
The inverted pyramid
• Hard news
stories (iebreaking news,
crime) often
follows an
inverted
pyramid
structure
Omie Drawhorn
Start with…..
• A summary lead, which summarizes in the first
sentence what the story is about. It gets
directly to the point.
Follow with…
• A nut graph, or the focus graph, a paragraph
that explains the point of the story. It usually
follows the lead, but if a lead has that
information, a nut graph isn’t always
necessary.
Omie Drawhorn
• Add supporting points in descending order of
importance. Start with the “who, what, where,
when, and why” and follow the information with
details, and gradually less important information
until the whole story is told.
• Incorporate quotes throughout the story.
• Be sure to cite your sources!
Omie Drawhorn