The First Amendment and Journalism

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United State gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and thoughts. There is nothing that states any limitations or provisos on who may say what and that includes journalists of any kind.

The term citizen journalist implies a person is a not a professional journalsit who is hired by a particular publication or network. Just because a person is not affiliated with any particular newspaper, magazine, news network, or organization does not relieve them of any responsibility. To write anything that will be viewed by the public also comes with a responsibility to state the facts or to make sure the reader knows it is the personal opinion of the writer. Expressing an opinion does not make something a fact and as journalists, whether they be considered citizen or professional, we have not only the right to express but to be accurate and factual. In some cases the responsibility to report events in a factual manner falls on the shoulders of those jounalists who are not affiliated with any particular publication or network since they are not required to "tow the party line" but are freer to relate facts and events without a slant that fits the opinions of the powers that be. People who write do so because they truly love to write; getting paid for it is great but not the reason for doing so. Writing anything that will be read by the general public is a great responsibility that should not be taken lightly by anyone even if it isn't for the money.

Everyone has their own opinion and has the right to express that opinion according to the Constitution of the United States; however, this does NOT give anyone the right to spout off without first considering what is being said and how it is being said.

The Bill of Rights in the Constitution were put there to give citizens of the new country the rights that they often did not have in their original homeland. But those same rights are also there to protect those same citizens from harm. Journalsits of any kind are quick to tout that they have to right to express themselves according to the Constitution but frequently forget that there is also a responsibility that goes with that right.

A journalist is a journalist no matter how anyone cares to classify it and that title carries with it the traditions to uphold and respect the First Ammendment to the United States Constitution.