By: E&P Staff A large-scale survey by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has found that while high school students in the U.S. are more knowledgable about the First Amendment than they were two years ago, they are increasingly divided on whether they think it goes too far in protecting the right to free speech.
In general, today's high school students are more likely to take classes that teach about the First Amendment than they were two years ago, and more students now support protections for journalists. Students also increasingly support the right of student publications to report without oversight from school officials.
The survey also found, however, that students today also think that the First Amendment guarantees too many rights, and there is a growing polarization between students who support the fundamental principle of the law and those who do not.
Teachers, according to the report, are increasing in their appreciation of the rights granted by the Amendment, but they don't think schools do a very good job in teaching it.
"We see progress," said Eric Newton, Knight?s director of Journalism Initiatives in a statement, "but there are still serious problems."
The survey questioned almost 15,000 high school students from across the country, as well as over 800 teachers. Below are some key findings of the survey. The full report is available by clicking
here.
***
-- 72% of students report they have taken classes dealing with the First Amendment, compared with 58% two years ago.
-- 54% of students said all newspapers should be able to publish freely without government approval, up from 51% two years ago.
-- 45% said the First Amendment goes too far, versus 35% in 2004.
-- Two years ago, 38% of teachers thought the press had too much freedom. That figure dropped this year to just 29%.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here