UIS panel discussion honors Constitution Day and freedom of the press
On Sept. 17, 2008, University of Illinois Springfield faculty, staff and students took time to reflect on one of the critical issues of the First Amendment during a panel discussion of “Freedom of the Press in 2008.” Co-sponsored by the Center for State Policy and Leadership and the ECCE Speakers Series, the discussion, marking U.S. Constitution Day, was held in the lobby of the Public Affairs Center on the Springfield campus.
Center executive director Tony Halter opened the program and introduced panelist and moderator Bill Wheelhouse, general manager of WUIS, Dana Heupel, executive editor and director of Illinois Issues magazine, and Don Craven, an attorney for the Illinois Press Association. The panelists observed how the ideas of freedom of the press and the media have changed and discussed the various threats to both freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Where the media was once comprised of print and broadcast reporters, over the years, it has grown to encompass television reporters and anchors, commentators, online writers, and bloggers.
Today, the press, in exercising its rights under the Freedom of Information Act and in its role as a watchdog, is under attack of not only politicians and government, but even of law enforcement agencies, school boards, city councils, and the general public. Panelists stressed, however, that although these attacks have sometimes hindered the press, the largest potential threat to freedom of the press is apathy, both on the part of the public and sometimes even on the part of the reporters.
Panelists expressed concern that the media are "pandering" to the public, giving them the stories they think they want to hear instead of utilizing their First Amendment rights to monitor government and dig for the important information society needs to know.
"I think the protections that the First Amendment offers the media were put in place, not just so that the paparazzi could bother Britney Spears, but to make sure that the media is keeping an eye on government," said Dana Heupel.
Don Craven stated that another concern is that the media are becoming "part of the conversation," allowing their personal views and biases to affect their reporting and using their stories to promote sales and gain readership instead of asking the difficult questions and obtaining the big stories. "Both print and broadcast (journalism) have dropped the ball," Craven said.
Although we can blame the press for not always remaining objective or failing to go after the harder stories, "the fact that people don’t seem to care," as Dana Heupel noted, compounds these problems and poses an even larger threat to the press and to the freedoms of the First Amendment. "The biggest problem is apathy," Heupel said. "The rights we allow to slip away will eventually come back to haunt us."
Government can pose significant roadblocks to freedom of the press, as well, ignoring FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests and not allowing reporters to get the information they need to adequately report and cover a story. It is up to the public to support the press and help them monitor the government and exercise the freedoms of the First Amendment before they disappear.
"Citizenship is hard work," Don Craven said, referring to the movie The American President. "You have to care. You have to give a damn. You have to take the time to watch how your government works. You have to take the time to express yourself, and you have to defend yourself and your right to express yourself."
UIS sponsors an educational forum each year in celebration of U.S. Constitution Day.