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Jan. 31st, 2005 News conference highlights

Web cast archive of news conference.

From many sources, the same statements came:

"There is a definite need for action."

"The results of the study are cause for serious attention."

"It is obvious that something needs to be done."

But how, and from whom can this change come? Change the framework of the American educational culture? Where do we start?

Representatives from the areas of education, civics, law and journalism converged at the Freedom Forum in Arlington, Va. this morning with the intention of creating an action plan to do just that - to make a marked difference in the Future of the First Amendment.

Carole Simpson, ABC News anchor and keynote speaker of the news conference, summed it up - students want to be entertained, nothing more. They would rather know the lyrics to the song at the top of the charts than the words to the amendment at the top of their Constitution. Too immersed in iPods, cell phones and instant messagers, the key is to find a way to reach teens - to make them understand that they are losing touch with the real world - and that's not just a show on TV.

A glimmer of hope, however, is the evidence that students want to be involved - if their schools will involve them. The First Amendment Schools project shows that this is indeed the case. In those schools where the First Amendment is integrated into everyday curriculum, the statistics are encouraging. Discipline cases go down, attendance goes up. Students want to go to school, so long as they know they have a voice and that voice will be taken seriously.

First Amendment Schools, unfortunately, are the vast minority among today's institutions. In presentations that opened the discussions following the news conference, the American Society of Newspaper Editor's highschooljournalism.org, Radio-Television News Directors Foundation's high school initiative, J-Ideas, the Student Press Law Center and many other groups showed proof of long hours spent trying to help other public schools pass on the importance of First Amendment ideas. As the Knight Foundation study shows, however, no matter what the effort the First Amendment is being left behind. Large-scale change is certainly needed.

But to say simply that change is needed is much too broad a statement. What are the specific areas that can be changed? Where can a visible difference really be felt? What organizations and groups should be the target for this change? How do we take this large problem and focus it into attainable goals?

These are the topics that the group wrestles with as the day draws to a close. Tomorrow's discussion will pinpoint the areas to reach out to as well as to create a concrete action plan and coalition to carry out that plan for months and maybe even years to come.

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