{"id":7728,"date":"2018-09-16T11:27:50","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T15:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/?p=7728"},"modified":"2018-09-17T19:34:20","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T23:34:20","slug":"voices-of-trinity-constitution-day-2018-first-amendment-discussion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/2018\/09\/voices-of-trinity-constitution-day-2018-first-amendment-discussion\/","title":{"rendered":"Voices of Trinity: Constitution Day 2018 – First Amendment Discussion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>We asked, you answered!\u00a0 The 2018 Constitution Day Straw Poll is fascinating and an up-to-the-minute reflection of what the Trinity community thinks about some critical issues about our country. I will provide the results in several blogs this week.\u00a0 This first blog is devoted to your answers on the First Amendment<\/strong> questions (Freedom of Press, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Separation of Church and State).<\/p>\n

Congress mandates that all educational institutions observe Constitution Day<\/a> each year on September 17, the day the Founders met at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to sign the document that created the United States of America.\u00a0 It would take two years for the states to ratify the Constitution, becoming official in 1789.\u00a0 While 230 years sounds like a long time ago, today’s citizens know that debates about the Constitution and Bill of Rights rage even now, and the future of our country depends on well-educated people knowing what the Constitution says and having well-formed opinions about the rights, privileges, obligations and imperatives contained in this document.\u00a0 The Constitution<\/a> is not a long document, and you can read it online through many sources.\u00a0 Legal cases interpreting the Constitution fill entire libraries, and that body of law has made our country strong, independent and an exemplar of the durability of the constitutional form of government.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Question #1 on the Bill of Rights:\u00a0 First Amendment Issues<\/h2><\/span>\n

On to the Poll!\u00a0 In the first question, we asked students, faculty and staff to rate certain rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights as “Very Important” or “Moderately Important” or “Not Important” or “Needs to Change.”\u00a0\u00a0 The question had this introduction:\u00a0 “Individual Rights: The United States Constitution includes a Bill of Rights that protects many important rights of citizens. But some people think the rights go too far, or that it’s time to update the Bill of Rights for the modern age. What do you think? Indicate your opinion on these rights that are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights (this is a selection, not all are listed)” — below the answers to the various parts of the question are set out separately with comments relevant to the specific rights listed.\u00a0 Note that “Professional Students” includes students in SPS, BGS, EDU and NHP:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

#1:\u00a0 What do you think of the Bill of Rights — Freedom of the Press<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\nVery Important
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n		Moderately Important
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n		Not Important
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n		Needs to Change
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ALL ANSWERS<\/strong><\/td>\n88%<\/td>\n10%<\/td>\n1%<\/td>\n1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CAS STUDENTS<\/strong><\/td>\n88%<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n		74%<\/td>\n17%<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FACULTY\/STAFF<\/strong><\/td>\n97%<\/td>\n3%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Interesting that professional students are somewhat more critical of Freedom of the Press while faculty\/staff are the most supportive.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • A Professional Student commented:<\/strong> “I believe in the power of the press. Media is a VERY powerful tool in today’s society and its influence on our lives, daily decisions, and major decisions is becoming more pronounced as technology progresses. I believe that, in some cases, the media is being used to manipulate the public viewpoint for political or monetary gains. I am not saying the media should be regulated. But I believe that unethical reporting and the falsification or purposeful misleading of the public via the media should be considered a serious offense. I am not saying they lie. I am saying that some individuals may misrepresent facts and only give the part of the story that they want the people to see.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    \n

    #1:\u00a0 What do you think of the Bill of Rights — Freedom of Speech
    \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    <\/td>\nVery Important
    \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n    		Moderately Important
    \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n    		Not Important
    \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n    		Needs to Change
    \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ALL ANSWERS<\/strong><\/td>\n93%<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    CAS STUDENTS<\/strong><\/td>\n94%<\/td>\n6%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
    \n<\/strong><\/td>\n    		96%<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    FACULTY\/STAFF<\/strong><\/td>\n91%<\/td>\n3%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    While the vast majority in all categories believe that Freedom of Speech is very important, there are some who urge limitations, such as this comment:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • A member of the Faculty\/Staff commented:<\/strong>\u00a0 “Freedom of Speech, while quite important in a democracy, has expanded too far. It needs to be balanced with respect for our country with certain acts declared illegal, including flag burning (is this really speech?), inflammatory speech, hateful speech (e.g., racial epithets, other comments demeaning various groups), and the like.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \n

      #1:\u00a0 What do you think of the Bill of Rights — Separation of Church and State
      \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      <\/td>\nVery Important
      \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n      		Moderately Important
      \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n      		Not Important
      \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n      		Needs to Change
      \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      ALL ANSWERS<\/strong><\/td>\n77%<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n5%<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      CAS STUDENTS<\/strong><\/td>\n82%<\/td>\n6%<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
      \n<\/strong><\/td>\n      		74%<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n9%<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      FACULTY\/STAFF<\/strong><\/td>\n76%<\/td>\n21%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Very interesting mixed results across all categories.\u00a0 People have conflicting thoughts about the Separation of Church and State, perhaps in part because the political environment often conflates them.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • A Professional Student commented:\u00a0<\/strong> “The separation of church and state needs to be reviewed by the current Administration because there seems to be a gross misunderstanding the their part.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        \n

        #1:\u00a0 What do you think of the Bill of Rights — Freedom of Religion
        \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

        <\/td>\nVery Important
        \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n        		Moderately Important
        \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n        		Not Important
        \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n        		Needs to Change
        \n<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        ALL ANSWERS<\/strong><\/td>\n95%<\/td>\n5%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        CAS STUDENTS<\/strong><\/td>\n100%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
        \n<\/strong><\/td>\n        		87%<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        FACULTY\/STAFF<\/strong><\/td>\n97%<\/td>\n3%<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        While the results were mixed on Separation of Church and State, there’s more unanimity about the importance of Freedom of Religion, though professional students seem the most skeptical:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • A Professional Student commented:<\/strong>\u00a0 “Freedom of Religion- I am not overly religious. I was
          \nraised Southern Baptist. However, I have come to see religion as more of a set of ethical
          \nguidelines. I honestly do not care if a person is religious or not. I do not believe that any religion is
          \nmore right than the other. I do not believe that a person’s religious beliefs should be forced upon
          \nany individual, especially if it harms an individual.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          You had a lot to say about the Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms!\u00a0 That summary will be in the next blog.\u00a0 But continuing the First Amendment theme in this blog, let’s turn to the second question in the poll:<\/p>\n

          Question #2:\u00a0 “Fake News” and Press as “Enemy of the People”<\/h2><\/span>\n

          Question #2 reads:<\/strong> “Media and the President:\u00a0 President Trump has called the press “fake news” and even the “enemy of the people.”\u00a0 He suggests that there should be changes in laws (for example, tougher libel laws) to restrain what the media publishes.\u00a0 Do you agree or disagree, and why? Is there a better solution?\u00a0 Explain in a one-paragraph essay.”<\/em><\/p>\n

          Students in the College of Arts and Sciences wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • “I disagree! In a potentially corrupt society, some may find the freedom of the media to be their
            \nsole-discreet at times-outlet to shine light on issues usually overlooked. I recall a scenario where a
            \nyoung abused wife\u2019s only outlet was to a local journalist. It was by default that the journalist
            \npursued the abused victim and asked permission to publish an article about her accused-never
            \nlegally pursued-husband. This avenue of communication shed even more light on the fact that
            \nlocal officers-who were great buddies with the abusive husband-never activated the appropriate
            \nlegal procedures;after they were called to the home on several occasions. Media should not be
            \nstunted as it has the potential to save lives.”<\/li>\n
          • “I do agree that there should be tougher libel laws, because a negative article of atrocious actions
            \nthat are not true can damage or endanger an individual’s life and character I believe in a free
            \npress, but I believe that the press needs to be held accountable for certain stories. I do not like the
            \nterm, “fake news,” or “enemy of the People,” but I do understand it to an extent. I personally
            \nbelieve that the media has the utmost responsibility to verify and substantiate their stories before
            \npublishing them. Instead of trying to defame an individual’s character, the media should primarily
            \nfocus reporting the objective truth.”<\/li>\n
          • “I disagree. Media is not the “enemy of the people”. Although there is a possibility of giving
            \nmistakenly some information, in no way the media should be labelled as “fake news”. “<\/li>\n
          • “Disagree. While people may not like what is published, it is still the press’ right to inform the public.
            \nI do however believe that the US media in general has issues with biaism when compared to
            \nmedia abroad.”<\/li>\n
          • “I do not agree with Trump about having tougher libel laws, only because the media is a major
            \noutlet to inform people of what is going on, though there should be something in place to assure
            \nhow accurate certain topics and information are and how they are being portrayed. Media outlets
            \nshould be stating facts, not assumptions.”<\/li>\n
          • “I believe that Trump has only taken this into consideration because it affected him personally. I
            \nthink that it is important to get different perspectives on topics and the media provides us with a
            \nvariety of positions. Yes, there are flaws in the way news has been projected; such as, statistics.
            \nThe change should be that there are accurate sources and evidence that supports the claims.”<\/li>\n
          • “The media should be free to publish what it wants under constitutional law but we should also
            \nknow who is funding the press.”<\/li>\n
          • “I disagree entirely with this belief. The press was made as a 4th branch of government in order to
            \nkeep our citizens informed of the government. Many presidents have had feuds with the press
            \nbecause in today’s societies the press doesn’t just inform us of what is happening, they inform and
            \nanalyze giving their own opinion on current events. Trump doesn’t want the media to go away, he
            \nwants those who oppose him and question him and his ideas to be erased so that nobody
            \ncriticizes his ideologies, something that only dictators do.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Students in the Professional Schools wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            • “I completely disagree. If we have in the Bill of Rights, Freedom of Press and Freedom of Speech,
              \nwhat gives him the right to take that away from us. Donald Trump only wants what is best for him.
              \nIf the press does not portray him as a \u201cSaint\u201d, then they get called out for being \u201cfake news and
              \nenemy of people.\u201d Although I sometimes do not agree with what the media portrays certain things,
              \nthere still should not be censorship placed on everything because it makes someone look bad.
              \nThis is not Big Brother 1984, instead, do not feed into what the media has to say about the
              \nnegativity and focus on the positives.”<\/li>\n
            • “I do not think the media should have laws dictating what they can and cannot publish. I do think
              \nthat there should be repercussions for purposely misrepresenting facts in order to drive the public
              \nto support a particular cause or end game. Something like a peer review journal. Scientific claims
              \nmust be backed with facts and able to be accurately replicated. I think the media should have a
              \nsimilar standard. They should not be allowed to “blow up” and misrepresent statements without
              \nconsequences. They are trusted. They should not be able to abuse that trust.”<\/li>\n
            • “The news organizations are not the enemy of the people but they do exhibit clear bias towards
              \neach of their base, which comes off as fake news and deceiving stories meant to churn up public
              \nopinion,skew opinions, and draw viewers into their political agenda. This extends to outlets such
              \nas CNN and Fox News alike. They are all guilty. I believe that the news should be handled
              \nseparate from bias and political agenda but that would take generations to solve given the way
              \nAmericans already hold their beliefs towards their news sources in this country. Its unfortunately
              \nsome of the downsides we have to endure while allowing freedom of speech (which is a good
              \nthing). Many times we use our freedom of speech irresponsibly and with political agenda
              \nregardless of the facts. I would challenge someone with bigger ideas than I, to create laws that
              \nhold these organizations accountable for biased reporting, without taking away from their first
              \namendment rights.”<\/li>\n
            • “I disagree that we should strengthen libel laws. The press is free to report and the president is free
              \nto provide a logical rebuttal. He has failed to do so repeatedly.”<\/li>\n
            • “I disagree because his approach is that of a dictator and Trump is the leading the circus for \u201cfake
              \nnews\u201d. Journalists are not the enemy because they fact check this administration as they have
              \ndone previously.”<\/li>\n
            • “I disagree. He wants to do this to obstruct justice and hide his crimes.”<\/li>\n
            • “I agree on that there should be changes about the press speaking on information that is not true.
              \nThis has been going on for decades and of course in my opinion if this continues to happen, the
              \npress or whomever is putting out this “fake news” should be fined a enormous amount.”<\/li>\n
            • “I agree to a certain extent,however, the media should not be silenced.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Faculty and Staff Comments:<\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              • “I disagree. Freedom of the speech and the press is vital, and essential to our democracy. The
                \nliteral definition – governance OF the people. If the government places itself in the position to
                \ncontrol the message, the power of the people and their voice is lost, and democracy would
                \ncollapse.”<\/li>\n
              • “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
                \nexercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
                \npeaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Our founders
                \nwere wise to include this sentence in the Bill of Rights, and to word it so carefully. The press and
                \nfree speech are as important to protecting our freedom and liberty from tyranny — if not even
                \nmore so — than the Second Amendment. The pen is, after all, mightier than the sword. It’s best to
                \nkeep that sword in the hands of the people, and not have it taken from them by the government.”<\/li>\n
              • “Press need freedom to investigate and report. Ethical standards need to be imposed by the
                \nrespective media companies.”<\/li>\n
              • “I strongly disagree. The president invented the term “fake news” to help cover up the truth of many
                \nthings he is saying and doing, which can be fact-checked and proved to be lies. I believe he calls
                \nthe press “the enemy of the people” because he is afraid of what may be printed about him. The
                \npeople he serves deserve to know the truth, and he should address everyone with respect, without
                \nslurs or insults. In addition, he does not take responsibility for his actions that come under
                \ncriticism; he constantly finds someone else to blame for whatever has happened. He doesn’t own
                \nup or “man up” to his mistakes. Until that happens, libel laws should stay as they are. Meanwhile,
                \nheavy doses of fact-checking need to continue and to be given more prominence in news reports.”<\/li>\n
              • “The president is wrong. The press must remain unfettered so citizens can gain access to the
                \nworkings of government. This leads to an informed citizenry capable of making the right decisions
                \nand voting with the most available information. The press should not be silenced.”<\/li>\n
              • “Yes. the media confuses its citizenry and fails to provide a full picture of the news story.”<\/li>\n
              • “Disagree. A free press is one of the main checks on runaway government power. The press’s role
                \nis, by nature, adversarial, and that’s probably why President Trump is so angry about media
                \ncoverage. He has shown that he cannot stand to have his lies and failings pointed out. He has a
                \ncompelling need to hit back at anyone who disagrees with him. The campaign against the press is
                \njust another example of the way he sees the world.”<\/li>\n
              • “An independent press is the eyes and ears of the public, regularly digging into matters that affect
                \nsociety but that some would prefer be kept from public view. With all its faults (notably corporate
                \nownership and control) this is what journalism and only journalism exists to do. An independent
                \npress is indispensable to democracy.”<\/li>\n
              • “The media needs to report news to the best of their ability with the information they can obtain.
                \nNews shows which may editorialize on the news in any way they want. The public needs to know
                \nthe difference between fact and opinion. We need to have better media literacy in this country so
                \nwe understand where the information is coming from and it’s validity . The president does not and
                \nshould not in any way get to dictate or censure the media from fair reporting.”<\/li>\n
              • “Strongly disagree with this crazy, unfit president who celebrates ignorance and constantly shows
                \nthe world how little he knows of our history or the Constitution. He may be able to manipulate the
                \nFox news or the Sinclair Broadcast group and put a liar in front of the White House press corps
                \nevery day but fortunately the fourth estate will be his undoing! A free press is exposing his
                \nlaundering of Russian money, his failure to pay taxes and yes his collusion with the Russians, his
                \nadultery and his mental deficiencies…can’t wait for it all to come out. Mueller for President in
                \n20\/20!”<\/li>\n
              • “I don’t just disagree with President Trump’s assessment that the mainstream media is fake and “an
                \nenemy” – I believe he is lying, manipulatively. He is an autocratic demagogue who borrows the
                \nlanguage of authoritarianism to cover his own bad deeds. HE is the producer of fake news, HE is
                \nthe “enemy of the people”. The mainstream media may well turn out to be the institution that saves
                \nour democracy. Just too bad they started real reporting late in the game!”<\/li>\n
              • “Trump will cry “fake” and “enemy” at any information or person that does not favorably support
                \nhimself or his view. Libel laws are necessary and important, but in the case of the current
                \npresident, I think the real issue is what can be done to counter the incessant lies that issue from
                \nhis mouth and from his administration. How can he be held accountable?”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                What a great conversation!\u00a0 Thanks to all who participated!<\/p>\n

                Next:\u00a0 What Trinity students, faculty and staff think about the Second Amendment and other parts of the Bill of Rights….<\/p>\n

                Do you have an opinion on these issues?\u00a0 Use the “Comment” link below to tell us what you think!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                “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.” (First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[509,787,20,21,23,24],"tags":[127,1075,2050,1740,177,185,186,1895,1734,2051],"class_list":["post-7728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-civil-human-rights","category-political-issues","category-politics","category-religion","category-social-issues","category-social-justice-issues","tag-constitution-day","tag-donald-trump","tag-enemy-of-the-people","tag-fake-news","tag-first-amendment","tag-freedom-of-religion","tag-freedom-of-speech","tag-freedom-of-the-press","tag-president-trump","tag-separation-of-church-and-state"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}