Protecting Our Free Speech

Not all hope is lost when it comes to our right to free speech all around the world. There are many organizations protecting our human right to the freedom of information and opinion and the journalists who are speaking out. Here is a list of some of the most prominent:

• American Civil Liberties Union: www.aclu.org
• Committee to Protect Journalists: www.cpj.org
• Society of Professional Journalists: www.spj.org
• Reporters Without Borders: www.rsf.org
• Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org

These are just a few organizations that with support and involvement from students alone can continue to thrive and make a difference in the realm of human rights and free speech.

In the United States, while these organizations are also prominent, the first amendment protects our free speech and many court cases throughout history are used as precedent for issues of free speech. Based on the 2009-2010 Mass Media Law book the most famous trials used on the issues of free speech and censorship are:

• The Trial of John Peter Zenger: more info
• Tinker vs. Des Moines: more info
• Ladue vs. Gilleo: more info
• Schneck vs. U.S.: more info

There are many more cases, these are just the most prominent, and by educating the public of the United States we can further fight for our first amendment rights in the United States.