Amendment I
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.
I
have always had mixed feelings when it comes to the media, realizing how
important media oversight is on one hand
while simultaneously watching journalists with a wary eye. The first amendment
to our constitution is the
foundation of the relationship we have enjoyed with our government for more
than two centuries. Not always a cordial
relationship, but one we have maintained longer than most nations have existed.
The
human condition is fraught with opportunities to take advantage of others, the
road to corruption is far too easy and
tempting alternative. The ideal of the journalist, and the ideal that the
photojournalism student, or the responsible
citizen-journalist should aspire too is that of the vigilant observer, making sure that the unvarnished truth is
available to the citizens of the nation, and of the world.
Those
few words spread over several lines that give us the right to work to
keep our nation, our leaders, and
ourselves honest and above-board. Congress shall make no law….or abridging the
freedom…or of the press those words may
be the most important tool in keeping the world’s longest standing democracy
alive.
As
a Photography major, citizen journalist and student of History the ideal of the
dedicated (photo)-journalist, doggedly
searching out the truth, keeping the nation informed is an honorable and noble
one, established in those few words that have
guided our nation.
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