The Media and the First Amendment

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution gives the citizens a right to freedom of religion and expression. As such, the people are given the opportunity to express themselves and pray wherever they want without any interference from the government (Cornell Law School). Concerning the right of expression, the media is one of the bodies that has been afforded protection by the first amendment.

I would say that the media is not capitalizing on the protection afforded to it by the First Amendment. The mainstream media has always been on the forefront to address the issues that affect the American citizens, and as such, most of them have been addressed. The sole mandate of the media is to create awareness on pressing issues (Cornell Law School). Arguing that the media is capitalizing on the right afforded to it would mean that it is a partisan body, which is not the case. In as much as the media addresses some of the issues that affect the citizens of the States, it appreciates the efforts made by different leaders. Thus, the media acts as a double-edged sword that upholds the good and shuns the evil in the United States.

The proliferation of the media outlets such as blogs, and social media have led to heated debates as far as the public policy is concerned. I would say that these proliferations are essential because they give the members of the public an opportunity to express their opinions on issues. The main setback that has been witnessed in the social media is the propagation of fake news. I would say that the media fraternity has been reluctant in addressing the issue of fake news and as such. The problem of fake news should be addressed to encourage the usefulness of the media proliferation.

Works Cited

Cornell Law School. “First Amendment.” LII / Legal Information Institute, 2018, https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment. Accessed 20 Apr 2018.