Amend This
A recent report that U.S. high school students don't know the First Amendment from first base set off the usual editorial hand-wringing. "Students jeopardize future of First Amendment by endorsing censorship; survey results 'disturbing,' expert says" was the headline in the Houston Chronicle, for instance.
But the study provided scant historical data for comparison. Without knowing students' attitudes in 1995 or 1975, there's no way to know if it's gotten worse. Numbers are available, however, and apparently things aren't quite as dramatically bad as the reports about the report paint them to be.
When asked whether they think the press has too much freedom do what it wants, 32 percent of high school students in the current survey said it did. But in the first State of the First Amendment survey, conducted in 1997, when Americans were asked whether they think the press has too much freedom, 38 percent said yes. The number that thinks the press has too much freedom actually is lower than it was in 1997.
When asked whether the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, 12 percent strongly agreed with that and 25 percent strongly disagreed. In 1997, when the answers were counted on a slightly different basis, 10 percent thought we had too much freedom of speech, and 18 percent thought we had too little.
In fact, the executive summary of the report's key findings notes that the support of the First Amendment has returned to pre-9/11 levels. It also notes that, "Even in the best of times, 30 percent of Americans feel that the First Amendment, the centuries-old cornerstone of our Bill of Rights, 'goes too far.' "
Which is hardly great news, but the report omitted that context in its press release, and most media didn't bother to search for it.
Instead, the news release that accompanied the report presented certain figures, then lamented the decline in the number of school-sponsored student newspapers, and presumed a connection. That's hardly surprising, considering the partners in the survey included organizations of newspaper editors.
It's also hardly surprising that the big media, in reporting on the report, only apparently read as far into it as the cover letter.
The news release associates the shaky First Amendment views of students and the lack of school-sponsored media:
Notice, though, it does not make, or even suggest, an explicit connection. This omission was lost on the reporters. ABC News and Associated Press, among others, fell for the trap:
Cox News Service summed it up like this:
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation pulled a fast one. Their survey finds no connection whatsoever between students' active participation in media and school sponsorship of such activities.
The report's key findings are here. There are 12 of them. Number 12, the very last one, the one not specifically addressed in the executive summary or the press release (which laments, "our nation's high schools are failing their students when it comes to instilling in them appreciation for the First Amendment") is the one that turns the AP conclusion on its head:
Media experience matters. School sponsorship does not. In fact, whaever would lead you to assume that writing things approved for a school-sponsored -- and by definition administration-censored -- newspaper would give you a taste of freedom of the press?
Evidently even high school students can see something news reporters and editors tend to overlook: "free speech" and "freedom of the press" are separate clauses of the First Amendment. Support for one is generally high, while support of the other is declining.
"Newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of a story." In the 1997 survey, 80 percent agreed; in the most recent survey, only 52 percent still agree outright with that. When the people trust you less than they trust the government, you've got a problem. Clearly confidence in the press has taken a tumble. However, scare-mongering without checking the facts, and reporting on the cover letter not the report, is not the path back to respectability.
Meanwhile, consider this result:
Asked, How often they get news "every day" from four sources, high school students gave "Internet" (20%) more often than "newspaper" (13%).
But the study provided scant historical data for comparison. Without knowing students' attitudes in 1995 or 1975, there's no way to know if it's gotten worse. Numbers are available, however, and apparently things aren't quite as dramatically bad as the reports about the report paint them to be.
When asked whether they think the press has too much freedom do what it wants, 32 percent of high school students in the current survey said it did. But in the first State of the First Amendment survey, conducted in 1997, when Americans were asked whether they think the press has too much freedom, 38 percent said yes. The number that thinks the press has too much freedom actually is lower than it was in 1997.
When asked whether the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, 12 percent strongly agreed with that and 25 percent strongly disagreed. In 1997, when the answers were counted on a slightly different basis, 10 percent thought we had too much freedom of speech, and 18 percent thought we had too little.
In fact, the executive summary of the report's key findings notes that the support of the First Amendment has returned to pre-9/11 levels. It also notes that, "Even in the best of times, 30 percent of Americans feel that the First Amendment, the centuries-old cornerstone of our Bill of Rights, 'goes too far.' "
Which is hardly great news, but the report omitted that context in its press release, and most media didn't bother to search for it.
Instead, the news release that accompanied the report presented certain figures, then lamented the decline in the number of school-sponsored student newspapers, and presumed a connection. That's hardly surprising, considering the partners in the survey included organizations of newspaper editors.
It's also hardly surprising that the big media, in reporting on the report, only apparently read as far into it as the cover letter.
The news release associates the shaky First Amendment views of students and the lack of school-sponsored media:
Though student journalists are the savviest among all high school students on the First Amendment, a quarter of U.S. schools do not even offer media programs to students.
“The last 15 years have not been a golden era for student media,” said Warren Watson, director of the J-Ideas project at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. “Programs are under siege or dying from neglect. Many students do not get the opportunity to practice our basic freedoms.”
Nearly all principals surveyed agreed students should learn about journalism, but said financial constraints block the expansion of media programs.
Notice, though, it does not make, or even suggest, an explicit connection. This omission was lost on the reporters. ABC News and Associated Press, among others, fell for the trap:
Students who take part in school media activities, such as a student newspapers or TV production, are much more likely to support expression of unpopular views, for example.
About nine in 10 principals said it is important for all students to learn some journalism skills, but most administrators say a lack of money limits their media offerings.
More than one in five schools offer no student media opportunities; of the high schools that do not offer student newspapers, 40 percent have eliminated them in the last five years.
"The last 15 years have not been a golden era for student media," said Warren Watson, director of the J-Ideas project at Ball State University in Indiana. "Programs are under siege or dying from neglect. Many students do not get the opportunity to practice our basic freedoms."
Cox News Service summed it up like this:
But nearly a quarter of the high schools surveyed do not offer media-related extracurricular activities, which the survey's researchers said would help educate students about the First Amendment.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation pulled a fast one. Their survey finds no connection whatsoever between students' active participation in media and school sponsorship of such activities.
The report's key findings are here. There are 12 of them. Number 12, the very last one, the one not specifically addressed in the executive summary or the press release (which laments, "our nation's high schools are failing their students when it comes to instilling in them appreciation for the First Amendment") is the one that turns the AP conclusion on its head:
"Interestingly, virtually the same percentage of students participate in media activities in schools that offer a high volume of student media, as in those schools with no media programs. Apparently, students interested in journalism find a way to participate in informal media activities, even if their school does not offer formal opportunities."
Media experience matters. School sponsorship does not. In fact, whaever would lead you to assume that writing things approved for a school-sponsored -- and by definition administration-censored -- newspaper would give you a taste of freedom of the press?
Evidently even high school students can see something news reporters and editors tend to overlook: "free speech" and "freedom of the press" are separate clauses of the First Amendment. Support for one is generally high, while support of the other is declining.
"Newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of a story." In the 1997 survey, 80 percent agreed; in the most recent survey, only 52 percent still agree outright with that. When the people trust you less than they trust the government, you've got a problem. Clearly confidence in the press has taken a tumble. However, scare-mongering without checking the facts, and reporting on the cover letter not the report, is not the path back to respectability.
Meanwhile, consider this result:
Asked, How often they get news "every day" from four sources, high school students gave "Internet" (20%) more often than "newspaper" (13%).
