First Five

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 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.