Teacher use of social networking sites such as Facebook has presented some ethical dilemmas for policy makers. In this article, we argue that schools are justified in taking action against teachers when evidence emerges from social networking sites that teachers are (a) doing something that is illegal, (b) doing something that reflects badly on…

History has placed the stamp of approval on the publication of the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret history of the Vietnam War. If WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange is another Daniel Ellsberg, then it is possible the website's disclosures will be viewed over time as similarly in the public interest. A classroom discussion on the release of…

Shares some familiar quotations from those who cherished the freedoms protected by the First Amendment, relates stories about some of the newsgathering operations around the country, and reports on what happened at the First Amendment Congresses held in 1980 and the recommendations made by that body. (HOD)

Pragmatic and philosophical cases against codes of ethics for journalists and other mass media practitioners are proposed in this paper. After an examination of the First Amendment considerations related to media ethics, a distinction is made between moral philosophy and moralizing, and it is argued that most media codes tend to be moralistic in…

Argues that high school journalism teachers must emphasize the difference between law and ethics, especially with regard to stories on controversial topics. Reviews several of these stories published in a high school newspaper in Columbus, Ohio. (MS)

Discusses legal issues resulting from implementation of an advisory component in a comprehensive middle school program. Focuses on safety issues in team-building activities, confidentiality and reporting issues related to adult advisory roles, and First Amendment issues related to religion. Examines the teacher's legal role. Concludes that…

Concerned with protecting the First Amendment rights of high school and college journalists, this focused journal issue analyzes libel law and the question of liability in the student press. Covering such broad topics as ethics, courts, censorship, administration, student government, and libel, the journal articles (1) question journalism as a…

Addresses the First Amendment issues raised by the Hazelwood decision, which ruled that administrators serve as publishers of the student press. Recent decisions have shown that the courts will apply Hazelwood to post-secondary schools. These decisions reflect an ideology which supports the inculcation of society's values on college students. (RJM)

In October 2001, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act to strengthen the ability of the U.S. government to combat terrorism. Unfortunately, some sections of the Act strike at core values and practices of libraries and archives, especially in the areas of record keeping, privacy, confidentiality, security, and access to the collections. This article…

This curriculum guide is intended to encourage students to learn how everyone benefits when young people, other citizens, and the media exercise the constitutional rights of free speech and free press. Background information on free speech issues is provided, along with classroom activities, discussion questions, and student worksheets. There are…