Editorial: Times tough for First Amendment

So, Gov. Mitch Daniels claims that the First Amendment is in great shape in today’s society.

If only we could live in his world.

At Tuesday’s First Amendment Symposium, he asserted just that to a group that knows otherwise—and has the battle scars to prove it.

In no other media arena is the First Amendment tested more than it is in these high schools that strive to build strong, free journalism programs.

We’ve even seen it in our own community.

Last month, Franklin Community High School’s newspapers staff was the center of controversy involving freedom of the press. Luckily that seemed to just be a misunderstanding, but others haven’t been so fortunate.

In February of 2006, the Noblesville High School newspaper, the Mill Stream, was prohibited from running an article focusing on student’s attitude towards oral sex and the risk of participating in such acts.

Not only are rights being restricted in schools, but in life too.

The Patriot Act not only violates the Fourth Amendment but forces speech censorship, violating the First Amendment too.

Under Section 215 of the act, the FBI can impose a gag order on any person they obtain information from. If they take records from a librarian, that person is not permitted to tell anyone, including the person the records are about. This gag order is indefinite.

The act has been called a First Amendment threat. With the government’s new capacities of obtaining information and prosecuting people, citizens and visitors alike are going to be more likely to watch what they say, read, watch and who they associate with.

It is only a matter of time before the Patriot Act sets definite censorship laws.

So Gov. Daniels, we don’t know what you define as a good time but we don’t believe you- inside the classroom or out.