MAD Got Facts

7/31/2019 MAD Got Facts

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Media and American Democracy

The curriculum,Mediaand AmericanDemocracy, was made

possible by agenerous grant from

the John S. and JamesL. Knight

Foundation.


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Media & American Democracy

5 units/15 lessons with activities

and extensions

challenges learners to apply, analyze

and evaluate the First Amendment.

Equal Time

Landmark Supreme Court Cases


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Media & American Democracy

Lesson Overview

Objectives

Critical Engagement Question

Lesson

Homework Historical

Context Lesson Plan

Handouts

Post-Lesson Options

Homework Options

Extension Activities

Back of the Book Resources

Answer Key (155-164)

Glossary (166-171)

Landmark Cases (172-174)

Media Milestones (175-176)

Journalistic Code of Ethics (177)

Website Eval. Template (179-180)


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5/22

Because a free press can be abused,

1. The government can usually impose priorrestraint to prevent publication of false material.

2. Newspapers can be required to get a governmentlicense to operate.

3. The media can be punished after the fact fornegligent or malicious publication of untruths.

4. State laws provide for shutting downnewspapers that are malicious, scandalous anddefamatory.

5. Not sure


6/22

What kind of speech receives thehighest level of protection under the

Constitution?

1. Symbolic speech

2. Religious speech

3. Political speech

4. True speech

5. Not sure


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CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONWhat responsibilities do citizens have to

discern fact from fiction inpolitical debate? (p. 39)

What is the difference between a politicalad and a political news report? (p. 40

Homework)


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9/22

Laws protecting consumers againstfalse and misleading advertising are

constitutional.

1. True

2. False


10/22

There are no federal laws against falseadvertising for political candidates.

1. True

2. False


11/22

Political speech is guaranteed thehighest level of protection under the

First Amendment.

1. True

2. False


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13/22

A candidate for political office canlegally make false statements about

her opponent during an election.

1. True

2. False


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1. Laws protecting consumers against false andmisleading advertising are constitutional.

2. There are no federal laws against false advertising forpolitical candidates.

3. Political speech is guaranteed the highest level of

protection under the First Amendment. (It receivesgreater protection than commercial speech, forexample.)

4. A TV station manager cannot refuse to air ads from

political candidates if he knows the claims in the adsare false.

5. A candidate for political office can legally make falsestatements about her opponent during an election.

(Statements on p. 43)

Got Facts or Fiction? P. 39: True/False

All fivestatements aretrue.


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p. 165T H E F I R S T A M E N D M E N T

Congress shall make no law

respecting an establishment ofreligion, or prohibiting the free

exercise thereof; or abridging thefreedom of speech, or of the press;

or the right of the people peaceablyto assemble, and to petition

the government for a redress ofgrievances.

F R E E D O M O F T H E P R E S SCongress shall make no law

abridging the freedom ofthe ress


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Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carringon, 1787, p. 44

I am persuaded myself that the good sense of the people will always

be found to be the best army. They may be led astray for a moment, butwill soon correct themselves. The people are the only censors of theirgovernors: and even their errors will tend to keep these to the trueprinciples of their institution. To punish these errors too severelywould be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty.

The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, thevery first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me todecide whether we should have a government without newspapers, ornewspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment toprefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive thosepapers and be capable of reading them.

According to Jefferson, what is the only safeguardof liberty?

Why?

d l A d d f bl


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Federal Communications Act: Candidates for PublicOffice (1934), p. 44

If any licensee [media outlet] shall permit any person who is alegally qualified candidate for any public office to use a

broadcasting station, he shall afford equal opportunities to allother such candidates for that office in the use of such

broadcasting station: [The media outlet] shall have no powerof censorship over the material broadcast.

US Code: Title 47, Sec. 315

The Federal Communications Act is afederal (national) law. Would Jeffersonagree or disagree with this regulation?

Why?


18/22

See background/historical context, p.40-41. Note: The Supreme Court has

interpreted the First Amendment toafford the highest degree ofprotection to political speech.

Read Handout Cpp. 45-47.



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See Activity guide, p. 41parts B. & C.

Discuss: Since the media cannot refuse to airads they know to be false, what is theirresponsibility to check the accuracy ofclaims in their reporting?

Handout D, p. 48focus on responsibility



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Because a free press can be abused,

1. The government can usually impose priorrestraint to prevent publication of false material.

2. Newspapers can be required to get a governmentlicense to operate.

3. The media can be punished after the fact fornegligent or malicious publication of untruths.

4. State laws provide for shutting downnewspapers that are malicious, scandalous anddefamatory.

5. Not sure


21/22

What kind of speech receives thehighest level of protection under the

Constitution?

1. Symbolic speech

2. Religious speech

3. Political speech

4. True speech

5. Not sure


22/22

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