Eight Values of Freedom of Expression

    Free Expression has been treasured in America since its creation. From the point of the birth of The United States the meaning of Free Expression has been valued and defined in eight different ways including: The Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, the Promotion of Tolerance, The Promotion of Innovation, and the Protection of Dissent. The Eight Values of Free Expression lay out the importance and role of the Right of Free Expression.

    The Marketplace of Ideas is the idea that all ideas, even true and false, should roam freely on the same platform because truth will always win in the end. Plato and Socrates said that man is inherently good and that if left to their own devices good will come out of it. Similarly John Milton felt that man is drawn to truth and will prefer it over lies. Giving everyone the ability to publish what they want comes from this idea.  The First Amendment right to the freedom of the press Is often looked over compared to freedom of speech but we cannot forget that it is a Fundamental Personal Right that is a key to freely expressing yourself. 

    Promoting Tolerance and Innovation coupled with Protecting Dissent creates a respectful area for the Marketplace of Ideas. Although I believe that you can never have a true marketplace of Ideas. A pure marketplace would mean everyone is tolerant of everyone's ideas and supports innovation all while valuing dissenting opinions. This is impossible in today's world where everyone has emotions, political and religious beliefs, and quite frankly everyone's a little too selfish. Just because some people do not choose the good when presented with every idea, some people choose what serves them best, makes the most money, or hurts their enemies. I believe man is good but it only takes a few bad men to ruin it for a lot of people. 

    Oftentimes people are silenced or censored. There are plenty of people in Russia that do not want a nuclear war on Ukraine and The U.S., but they cannot speak out. Stable Change allows for a window for people to vent. Eventually if people cannot vent their frustration with words, protests, and democracy, it will turn to violence, revolution, and the overthrowing of governments. This idea that people need to vent is a key part of Participation in Self-Government. People are angry when they do not have control over their lives. People not only need to have representation in government but also use it. According to census.gov only 68.8% of Americans vote. 

    It doesn’t take a 0% voter turnout to have tyranny. The Check on Governmental Power requires the governed to do something. The Declaration of Independence says “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” It is dangerous to have the faith that the government if left to its own devices will find the same truth or goodness the public would. 

    Individual Self-Fulfillment lets us decide for ourselves. What we think and believe allows us to use our own agency to choose. As we as society choose to think for ourselves we can truly get to the good truth that Milton, Socrates, and Plato were talking about.

Supreme Court Reflection

The Supreme Court of the United States

By: Derek McGannon

Media Law and Literacy 1450

    The Supreme Court Of The United States (SCOTUS) found its establishment in the third article of the Constitution. It is the most powerful court in all of the United States and the decisions made there are precedents used in every other court in the land. 

    Learning about SCOTUS has been very interesting because I thought I knew a lot about it but there is so much more. It was actually George Washington who signed the Judiciary act into law and organized six judges who would serve for life. I did not realize that the supreme court has been around since the very beginning and that it did not always have nine justices. It was actually not until 1869 that the court would see nine justices, but according to History.com, the number has changed 6 times in total from as low as 5 to as high as six. 

    One thing I found surprising is that the first case handled by the court was not the crazy political battles we see on the news today, rather it was a debt dispute between a farmer and another family. This was surprising to me because Certiorari has been around for so long the court probably would not have taken this case in America today. Today the Supreme court hears 100-150 out of the 7,000 that are appealed to the supreme level. 

    The video truly showed me how independent the court is from the government. The Justices meet and decide what cases they are going to hear, they do their own work, and they make their own decisions. They are not like every other politician. I believe that the congressmen and women are sometimes puppets and supreme court judges are not as tied to parties or government figures. Now, they are nominated by presidents and are thought to be affiliated but true justices are not biased. 

    Below is a photo of me having the privilidge of meeting North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Micheal Morgan. State Supreme Courts are not the same as SCOTUS in national power but they are very similar in form. There are justices that rule at the state level on state constitutions. I had the honor of interviewing for an hour before he showed me the court room and deliberation room. On the other side of the wall behind their podium seats is the room they discuss in. It is similar for SCOTUS. There they have access to laws and prior rulings and precedents. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity I will never forget. 

The Historical Impact of the Radio

COM 1450 Smith

Derek McGannon 

 Every morning, people worldwide tune into their favorite stations and listen to sports, their favorite music, and news from all around the planet. This global web of communication exploded with popularity last century and is still prevalent today making the radio one of the most impactful mediums of communication in the world today. 

    According to PBS.org the history of the radio first got its start in europe. The Italian inventor Guglielmo Macroni brought the first prototype of the radio out to the real world. He went from being a backyard scientist to the godfather of electromagnetic transmitting communications across the world. In 1899 Macaroni transmitted the results of a yacht race from the open sea to New York and history had been made. His popularity grew so much that 2 years later in 1901 he started a commercial wireless company to broadcast the first transatlantic signal. Guglielmo Macroni was the shoulder that others would stand on in the future and advance the work of the giant.

   A Canadian scientist named Reginald Fessenden transmitted the first human voice christmas eve of 1906. The transmission in Massachusetts was sent all over New England and could be heard even in south eastern tip virginia. This breakthrough was literally unheard of; the fact that people could communicate to mass groups of people instantly was truly remarkable. This would give the evolutionary spark needed for others to bring about the rise of Entertainment broadcasting starting in the next decade. 

   The University of Michigan reports that entertainment broadcasting made its start in 1910 and by the turn of the 1930s public entertainment entered the golden age of radio. Cities were the biggest hubs for radio listeners as local news could be brought faster and more easily to listeners than printing thousands of newspapers. WW2 had a massive impact on the importance of the radio. Its first tactical implements were to give orders on the battlefields, but thousands of miles away at the same time the radio had a different function. Family and friends crowded around the radio to hear the latest news on movements abroad because everyone had a loved one in the fight. The often dismal war reports brought everyone to the radio, but people found joy and a reason to stay at the radio because of the birth of popular music. 

    The Radio is the main reason why today we listen to Olivia Rodrigo on repeat in malls, cars, and restaurants. Popular music found its start in jazz classics like louis armstrong and John coltrane but really spread with the showtunes from broadways. People would be able to listen to their favorite songs for free. This means without purchasing a record, a Broadway ticket or traveling to a jazz bar.

    The Radio became a platform for local and world news, mass advertising, and popular music. The radio today brings us the same and so much more, and the impact has left us with 92% of Americans over the age of 18 listening to the radio at least once a week and 3 billion listeners worldwide. The radio truly impacted the whole world for the better.