By Staff Writer: Madison Lawson
The First Amendment is one of the most essential Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. This Amendment protects the right to free speech, freedom to believe in what one wants (religiously), freedom to express different opinions, right to assembly, and the right to petition. Having these rights is what some other countries envy because they do not have the same rights as Americans. These rights are a stronghold within the U.S. because they allow individuality among everyone. Along with individuality, people can contradict the government and speak their opinion on what needs to change or be done for the betterment of the country’s people.
With all the pros of the First Amendment, there are always some cons. These cons include having the right to spread fake information, which is considered an opinion. Another con is being able to lie to anyone or everybody unless under oath in court. Some people have used the right to free speech for malicious purposes. Sometimes, these malicious purposes are utterly legal due to the Bill of Rights, apart from libel and slander.
The First Amendment allows writers, public speakers, and other influential people to research topics and relay their findings to the public. Sometimes, this information can be groundbreaking and cause extreme turmoil within different communities. Information is always easy to find, but determining if the information is truthful and reliable is the issue. The Society of Professional Journalism (SPJ) developed a unique code of ethics for writers to ensure that journalists are not abusing freedom of speech and encourage high ethical standards when presenting information to the public.
The First Amendment is simple and complex all in one. This right allows people to be themselves and the right to speak their minds without being lawfully persecuted unless under certain circumstances. These rights are important to everyone who enjoys expressing their opinions about what they believe in and communicating what needs to be done in the U.S. about what the people want or need. The First Amendment allows citizens to make changes in their country and enables writers to spread information people need to know about.