First Five

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier of California discusses the reason for and expected benefits of his “Saving Local News Act of 2019” (H.R. 3126). If it becomes law, the bill would make it easier for local news organizations to gain non-profit tax status and better deal with the financial challenges many face – as many local news providers around the nation cut back on news staff or simply cease operations.

What does religious liberty actually mean? Author and lawyer Steven Collis talks about four very different Americans — a Catholic priest, an atheist, a Klamath Indian man, and a Christian baker — who put their reputations and livelihoods at risk to preserve and live their personal beliefs.

Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association and a national expert, provides the latest updates on legal issues surrounding the growing use of drones to gather news, including photos and video.

Student journalists were recognized in two ways during the April 15 announcement of the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes. Pulitzer Administrator Dana Canedy recognized the work of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School student reporters after the February 2018 mass shooting at their school in Parkland, Fla. In addition, about 30 collegiate student journalists were invited to attend the event in recognition of 2019 as the Year of the Student Journalist. Freedom Forum Institute President Gene Policinski spoke with some of the invited students immediately after the ceremony at Columbia University in New York City.

An interview with John Gable, the founder of AllSides — a media technology company that exposes people to information and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum so they can better understand the world — and each other.

A discussion with Hadar Harris, executive director of the Student Press Law Center. The eighth in a series of podcasts exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

A discussion with Alex Connor, editor-in-chief of the Iowa State Daily in Ames, Iowa. The seventh in a series of podcasts exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

“Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People,” a new film airing April 12 on PBS as part of its American Masters series, provides unique insight into Pulitzer’s innovative approach to journalism excellence that still resonates more than a century later with the annual Pulitzer Prizes. In this episode, we talk with the film’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer and producer Robert Seidman about how Pulitzer anticipated the contemporary discussion over “fake news.” In addition, we talk about how his emphasis on short, punchy stories and color graphics combined with an obsessive demand for accuracy propelled his New York World to the top of the American newspaper scene at the start of the 20th Century.

A discussion with Mike Simons, advisor for the yearbook at Corning-Painted Post High School in Corning, N.Y. The sixth in a series of podcasts exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

A discussion with Maya Goldman, editor-in-chief at The Michigan Daily at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The fifth in a series of podcasts exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

A discussion with Scott Morris, adviser to The Flor-Ala at the University of North Alabama. The fourth in a series of podcasts exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

A discussion with Ginny Bixby, assignment editor of The Blue & Gray Press at Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, Va. The third in a series of podcasts exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

A discussion with Melody Gebremedhin, an editor for The Paw Print, at Pullman High School in Pullman, Wash. The second in a series exploring student journalism and celebrating 2019’s Year of the Student Journalist. Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

A discussion with Adriana Chavira, advisor to student publications at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, in Van Nuys, Calif., on why her students felt compelled recently to write an editorial in support of free press – and how her student publications operate. The first in a series exploring student journalism, as part of the celebration of 2019 as the “Year of the Student Journalist,” co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Student Press Law Center.

What do Americans know about the First Amendment, and how do they feel about the hot button issues?

While most people are distracted by watching the White House, states are trying to pass laws that will chill the freedom to protest.

How can the media help people understand complex issues?

We delve into one of the most controversial cases on the Supreme Court's docket this year, Masterpiece Cakeshop, and what the decision means for First Amendment and LGBTQ rights. 

Can sites like Facebook censor fake news and hate speech? Can the government make them? And if so — is that a good idea?

Gene Policinski talks with the Women’s Media Center about their recent report on the status of women of color in the American media.

Four student journalists at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School describe the experience of reporting on the shooting that occurred at their own school.

Does freedom of the press apply to high school students? Lata Nott interviews two student journalists about their fight to publish a story their school censored.

Law and journalism professor Stephen Solomon talks about how symbolic speech as a form of protest—like taking a knee during the National Anthem—has a long history in America.

Mickey Osterreicher, lawyer for the National Press Photographers Association, discusses how regulations on drone photography can limit freedom of the press.

In this episode Lata sits down with First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, author of the book "The Soul of the First Amendment", to discuss free speech and how it applies to communications on the internet. Floyd outlines The Fairness Doctrine of 1949, delves into editorial standards in print vs. online scenarios, breaks down Europe's Right to be Forgotten policy, and generally impresses upon us the ongoing nature of the First Amendment's role in our day to day lives as American citizens. 

How do we live together as one nation of people with so many different religious faiths? Kristen Looney of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute shares her insights.

What’s it like running a newsroom today and covering an administration that’s often hostile towards journalists? Carrie Budoff Brown, Editor of Politico, gives us the inside scoop.

What do a Confederate flag license plate, a statue of the Ten Commandments, and a student painting depicting cops as pigs all have in common? They’re all examples of government speech.

Are today’s college students intolerant of free speech? The Brookings Institution’s John Villasenor discusses the results of his recent survey.

Is the First Amendment really under attack, or is that just hyperbole? In this episode, we discuss our latest First Amendment report card and go over the actual threats facing our freedoms--and just how seriously we should be taking them. 

What types of speech are NOT protected by the First Amendment?

How quickly can a despotic government dismantle a free press? We talk to Abdulhamit Bilici, former editor-in-chief of the largest newspaper in Turkey, now living in exile after President Erdogan's takeover of the press and imprisonment of over 150 journalists. 

Does the freedom of religion protect sites that are sacred to Native Americans?

Is requiring someone to have a license to call themselves a certain type of professional — like a psychologist — a violation of freedom of speech? In this episode, we talk to Mary Lou Serafine, who made that argument in front of the Fifth Circuit, and won. 

In this episode, we discuss the events that transpired at the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville. How should we balance hateful messages and threats to public safety against the rights to free speech and free assembly?

Every day, journalists place themselves in peril to bring people the news.  Austin Tice is a journalist who has been held hostage in Syria for the past five years.  On the eve of Austin's 36th birthday and the fifth anniversary of his disappearance, we talked to his mother, Debra Tice. 

Journalists are supposed to serve as "watchdogs" on the government. But how do they get access to the information they need to do that? In this episode, we talk to Buzzfeed lawyer Nabiha Syed about "freedom of information" laws with --which are often the secret to learning government secrets.

Government employees are in the best position to reveal government corruption and misconduct. So when can they be fired for their speech — and when does the First Amendment protect them?

What should we do about online hate speech? Ban it? Embrace it? In this episode we explore the approaches that different social media platforms take when it comes to their users posting hateful and offensive content.

Does a law that says that you can’t trademark an offensive or racist name violate freedom of speech? We talk to Simon Tam, founder of Asian-American dance rock band “The Slants” and lead plaintiff in the recent Supreme Court case that dealt with this very question.

ACLU attorney Esha Bhandari talks about representing the anonymous Tweeter behind a “rogue” Twitter account critical of the Trump administration, and shares her thoughts about why the right to speak anonymously is so important--and how technology and social media have changed how we use it.

The First Five launches with a discussion of the results of this year’s State of the First Amendment Survey. The most troubling finding? One in four Americans thinks the First Amendment goes too far in the freedoms it guarantees.

Can your boss fire you because of your political views? Can a journalist publish stolen information? Can a university ban a controversial speaker? Learn the answers to these questions and more by listening to The First Five. Hosts Lata Nott and Gene Policinski talk to the experts and cut through the jargon to explain how the five freedoms of the First Amendment work, and what you can do to protect them.