By: Reilly Buselli
This week there was a monumental breach of the first amendment that reached the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The first amendment protects an American’s freedom of expression. This includes freedom of speech, religion, press, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government. On Saturday, September 19th, President Trump enacted a ban against CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, restricting their access to the White House saying that it is “a result of their constant reporting ‘fake news’.”
Under the first amendment, the Supreme Court strongly protects the media from “prior restraint” which means that the government does not have the right to restrict stories from being published or written. They can only take action against a story after it was released. This includes stories that are controversial, contain government secrets, or contain misinformation.
Early on the morning of Thursday, September 24th, Judge Timothy Kelly with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia gave the restricted media temporary access back to the White House, to solve the issue for now, until it can be subject to a full trial.
Many countries do not have the freedoms that our founding father built our nation on. We as Americans exercise our first amendment freedoms daily through social media, practicing of our religions, holding meetings or rallies, and petitioning for what we believe in. Our founding fathers experienced a nation where it was unacceptable to speak out against its leader, and if they did, they had to fear for their wellbeing. They brought this wisdom and experience to America where they laid out a foundation that would still hold this country up 250 years later.
Here at the Paupack Press, we understand the value of the first amendment. Freedom of press is the reason that we are able to report on any issue in our school, in pop culture, or in the news. We are grateful to have the opportunity to present our district with newsletters, and we appreciate the support that we receive weekly from our community.
As of now, our first amendment rights remain temporarily untouched, but this is a developing story. People on both sides of this media ban case are waiting for the court to make its final ruling, and in the meantime the president has begun to restrict media access on Air Force 1. For now, America is watching this case unfold and wondering what the founding fathers would think about these decisions that are directly affecting the iron-clad constitution that serves as the foundation for our freedom.
