The Bill of Rights in Action, 1996-1999. INSTITUTION Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 444 880 SO 030 982 AUTHOR Hayes, Bill, Ed. TITLE The Bill of Rights in Action, 1996-1999. INSTITUTION Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles, CA. SPONS AGENCY W. M. Keck Foundation, Los Angeles, CA. PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 174p. AVAILABLE FROM. Constitutional Rights Foundation, 601 South Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90005; Tel: 213-487-5590; Fax: 213-386-0459; Web site: (www.crf-usa.org). PUB TYPE Collected Works - Serials (022) -- Guides- Classroom - Learner (051)-- Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052) JOURNAL CIT Bill of Rights in Action; v13-15 1996-1999 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Curriculum Enrichment; Government Role; *Political Issues; *Political Science; Secondary Education; Social Studies; *United States Government (Course); *United States History; *World History IDENTIFIERS Bill of Rights; United States Constitution ABSTRACT These newsletter volumes deal with topics in U.S. history, world history, and U.S. government relating to the Bill of Rights. The newsletters present background information for classroom reading, insome instances provide a list of topical issues, and offer activities for discussion and writing. Some of the topics considered in the newslettersare: political scandals, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Romanovs, the separation of church and state, welfare, the Aztec Empire, origins of Islamic law, the Napoleonic Code, bombing civilians in World War 2, and censoring the Internet. (BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. The Bill of Rights in Action; v13-15 1996-1999 Hayes, Bill, Ed. 00 C31 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement O PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDy CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) Cr) BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization O originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. BEST COPY AVAILABLE The ILL OF GHTS CTION CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION I WINTER 1996 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1 POLITICAL simplyfulfillingtheir SCANDALS, role as watchdogs on the SCOU D ELS, government. Watergate's AND SCHEMERS: Influence ARE THE NEWS The resignation of PresidentRichard M. IV.[DIA FOCUSING ON Nixon during the THE WRONG THINGS? Watergate scandal resulted partly from the Public distrust of elected investigativeworkof officials and political can- W 1ttl4 ck two WashingtonPost didates is growing. Media reporters, Robert critics say negative press WoodwardandCarl coverage is contributing toWashington Post reporters Robert Woodward (left) and Carl BernsteinBernstein. Helping to this trend and is weaken-broke story after story on the Watergate scandal in 1973-4. Their investiga-bring down a president ing American democracy.tive journalism won them fame and many imitators. (Corbis-Bettmann) made them media stars. Should journalists changethe directionof their They made an impression on a whole generation of jour- reporting? nalists. After Watergate, journalists, especially those covering Many Americans believe politicians are dishonest, national news, became more skeptical and wary of politi- hypocritical, and power-hungry. Americans did not cians manipulating them. The press actively tried to always think this way. When John F. Kennedy was presi- expose government abuses. One consequence of this has dent, for example, 75 percent of Americans indicated that been more negative political reporting. While demanding they trusted the government to do the right thing. Today an open and more honest government, reporters sought that figure has dropped to 25 percent. A recent opinion poll out the mistakes, inconsistencies, and ethical faults of reported that nearly 80 percent of the public gave political leaders. elected officials in Washington a low rating on honesty and ethics. Historians point out that the press has always been What has produced this widespread distrust aggressive. Virtually every president,starting with among theAmericanpeople? Certainly, (Continued on next page) the Vietnam War and Watergate cover-up ended a Election Issue long period of public confidence in political lead- ership. Also, since Watergate, the nation's press Political Scandals, Scoundrels, and Schemers:Are has become much more aggressive and negative in the News Media Focusingon the Wrong Thing? its political reporting. Issues in Campaign '96 Some media critics, including journalists, argue TV Attack Ads and the Voter that the press undermines our democratic system by spending too much time focusing on scandals and portraying public life as little more thana This issue of the Bill of Rights in Action is made game among scheming politicians. Defenders of possible by a generous grant from the the press, however, say that the news mediaare W.M. Keck Foundation © 1996, Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles. All Constitutional Rights Foundation materials and publications, including Bill of Rightsin Action, are protected by copyright. However, we hereby grant to all recipients a license to reproduce all material contained herein for distribution to students, other school site personnel, and district administrators.Any opinion expressed herein does not necessarily reflect the views of the WM. Keck Foundation. 3 BEST COPY AVAILABLE] GeorgeWashington,has fusion, and controversy and become a target for the press. conflict. The tabloidpress, which -7-':WIEDIA WORKAT Mediacriticsbelievethe thrives on sensational news soweg tr same is true of reporters from reporting, was invented over the major newspapers and 100 years ago. ..- TV networks who cover the Is Press Coverage Worse WhiteHouse.Inrecent Today? eg years, those on the White But the aggressiveness of the House beat have been mostly press is not what concerns reporters who covered the today's media critics. They president during his election worry about the decline in campaign. For the most part, thoughtful reporting on seri- these reporters know how to 1011110.40IITIE rAU'rinR. ous publicissues.Often, cover campaign politics they say, newspaper and TVDoes the media focus too much on negative issues? (Davewho did what to whom, news editors cut back on thisHitch, Telegram & Gazette) who's up, who's down. But, typeofnewscoverage say critics, these reporters because it is too boring or lacks the drama of conflict. are not particularly expert in the domestic and for- Indeed, the media have grown much more competi- eign policy issues that dominate presidential tive in the last 30 years. With today's technology, decision-making. Thus, according to the critics, pol- news can be broadcast around the world as it hap- iticsnot policytends to color much of their White pens. People expectand receiveinstantaneous House reporting. In fact, critics believe serious pol- reports on assassinations, floods, airplane crashes, icy analysis is giving way to covering politics as a even wars. They can receive the information in many horse race. new waysfrom cable television, satellite dishes, Defenders of the media believe the critics are over- the Internet. Talk radio and tabloid TV news shows, generalizing. They admit that some newspapers and such as "A Current Affair," have grown in populari- networks may cover politics as a horse race. But they ty. At the same time, fewer people are reading news- cite many examples of in-depth policy coverage. The papers and watching network TV news. The drop is New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles especially pronounced among people under 30. Times devote much ink to policy issues. Every night Trying to keep up with the competition, many news- on television, "Nightline" explores issues. C-SPAN papers and networks have made their news features televises complete speeches and policy forums. The shorter and jazzed them up with graphics, pictures, defenders say the best-ever political coverage and and diagrams. In short, they are trying to make the reporting is going on today. But, they say, people news more entertaining Does this mean serious jour- must seek it out in the highly competitive media. nalism is giving way to sensationalism? Should the Media Report on Private Lives? One study of press coverage between 1972 and 1992 Another problem critics see in post-Watergate jour- revealed that news stories about domestic and for- nalism is the greater interest in reporting on the per- eignquestionsbeingconsidered by Congress sonal lives of politicians. President Franklin D. dropped significantly. On the other hand, stories Roosevelt's legs were paralyzed from polio. He wore about political conflict and ethical misbehavior of leg braces and used a wheelchair. But reporters and elected leaders increased. Senator Alan K. Simpson photographers never revealed his disability, because (R-Wyo.), a strong critic of the media, recently made they apparently believed it would weaken the presi- this remark about reporters covering Congress: dent's image as a strong leader. Such a conspiracy of They don't want to know whether anything silence by the press would be unthinkable in today's was resolved for the betterment of the United highly competitive news environment. States. They want to know who got ham- Scandals and sexual misbehavior have increasingly mered, who tricked whom... .They're not become acceptable topics for the mainstream