Considers if the very principles of freedom of expression and the First Amendment that underlie much of the scholarship in journalism and mass communication education is placed at risk by federal regulations that require prior approval of research designs. Presents four senior scholars' deliberations on the rationale, contradictions, ethics, and…

Notes that despite recent United States Supreme Court decisions that have been unfavorable to the press, a First Amendment-based conditional privilege protecting the editorial process against governmental intrusion survives. (FL)

Discusses issues involved in the creation of the National Research and Education Network (NREN). Telecommunications technology is described; support from industry and libraries is discussed; and problems with NREN are raised, including equal access to computerized information, privacy issues, and protection of First Amendment rights. (LRW)

Addressing the issues of the application of the First Amendment and deregulation, this paper examines the judicial and legislative precedents for cable television regulation and the current industry status. The paper then addresses the questions: (1) Should and could a different regulatory approach be taken? (2) What types of models might best be…

Summarizes the findings of the Meese Commission on Pornography, and reviews several publications that responded to these findings. Issues considered include civil liberties, Christian fundamentalism, feminism, and the public health. A full bibliography of sources is provided. (CLB)

Because recent restrictive changes in cigarette advertising laws have unknown consequences for advertisers, this report outlines the history of the controversy over whether to allow cigarette advertisements, explores its legal status with respect to First Amendment rights for advertisers, and considers potential solutions to the conflict between…

An analysis of first amendment guarantees focuses on the federal government's power to regulate experiments, arguing that they do not merit the stringent level of first amendment protection offered by strict scrutiny or related standards. (Author/MSE)

The establishment of First Amendment protection for statements of opinion has extended the category of protected expression, but judicially created tests for distinguishing fact from opinion provide limited guidance for judges and place little constraint on judicial interpretation of language. In writing the Supreme Court's majority opinion in…

A coalition of health groups wants the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) to discontinue the use of the Joe Camel cartoon character in its cigarette advertisements. RJR has denied the findings of the three studies published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" and cited by the health groups--these studies contend that…

Because of the United States Court of Appeal's ruling ("Quincy Cable TV vs. Federal Communications Commission") that government regulation of what cable television stations can broadcast violates their First Amendment rights, a number of consequences have arisen concerning what cable stations are required to broadcast (must-carry rules),…

Recently, there has been a definite shift away from United States government support for the unrestricted exchange of new, unclassified scientific and technical information at professional meetings. This has been substantiated by numerous specific examples of censorship by branches of the government. Scientists in the target professional…

Arguments for and against banning television commercials aimed at children under age 12, as well as the role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the First Amendment, and parents in regulating such commercials, are explored in this paper. Following an introduction that describes the controversy, a second section of the paper details the…

The role of religion in American society has been ignored by textbook publishers and is not being taught in U.S. schools. The support for the separation of church and state is eroding as a result. Includes a sidebar providing supplementary resource materials on religion for use by teachers. (MD)

The First Amendment rights of students at public universities and colleges are well established by federal and state courts. Where a publication has been created as a forum for student expression, college authorities may not exercise anything but advisory control over editorial decisions of student editors. On-line student newspapers and literary…

To determine if Kansas scholastic journalism programs were being allowed to practice First Amendment rights as determined by federal court decisions since 1968, a study analyzed 177 questionnaires completed by principals, faculty advisers, and student editors at 75 randomly selected public high schools having student newspapers. Survey results…