J-Ideas announces fund-raising campaign

Warren Watson, director, announced today the creation of an annual fund-raising campaign to support J-Ideas, Ball State’s scholastic journalism and First Amendment institute.

Parties are invited to give $25 or more to the J-Ideas Foundation to support future activities of the program. Donations are tax deductible. <more>

FIRST VOICES



Little things mean a lot at the Newseum
Indianapolis Star column
by Warren Watson

J-Ideas Director Warren Watson blogs regularly for the Indianapolis Star. Here are his latest offerings:

Landmark First Amendment Research
with School Principals launched at Ball State

Ball State’s First Amendment institute has launched a landmark research project with 5,000 high school principals nationwide.

J-Ideas, a 5-year-old effort to support student journalism and First Amendment awareness, is reaching out to 5,000 principals to gauge their knowledge level and support for the First Amendment of the Constitution. The research coincides with Sunshine Week, a national effort to support Freedom of Information, an important principle of the First Amendment. <more>

Campus free-speech thrives

-Ignoramcer in Palin, Dowd free-speech remarks

-Plainfield pays respect to First Amendment

-Banned Books Week

-Palin-tology

-New President must revive Constitution

-Traditional news misses Edwards escapade

-Protesters' rights fenced off

-Social networking pitfalls

-Bad year for traditional news gatherers

-Baseball and the First Amendment

-Principals and the First Amendment

-Remembering a crusader
-Photo ID law bad for voters
-Thoughts from the annual U.S. editors convention
-Need for print journalism remains
-Sunshine:now more than ever
-Mean-spirited fans
-Peter Jennings' legacy
-The First Amendment at the Alamo
-A New museum for news
-Author creates First Amendment 'primer'
-Unlikely First Amendment hero
-Harrison represented Hoosiers proudly
-Online course wraps for the fall
-Religious freedom for all
-Reading is FUN-damental
-Nothing negative
-Blogs grow in influence, but beware of anonymity
-Parent rides the bench after blog posting
-Student journalist's actions serves profession poorly
-Examining free speech online
-Remembering the courageous Elijah Parish Lovejoy

Archive

More First Thoughts: journalism teacher Tom Gayda speaks out

Student journalists scoop professional press

By Gerry Appel

In an era where student journalists are often criticized for poor decision-making, one student newspaper should receive praise after scooping its professional counterparts. <more>

-Principal wrong in pulling paper

Mile high with the First Amendment...

By Randy Swikle

We were north of the Mile High City near the Rocky Mountains. The principals were voluntarily descending—not from the tall peaks but from their position abutting the summit of school hierarchy. When they reached level ground, we could see each other more clearly. And clear sight leads to insight. <more > 

Warren Watson

First Thoughts submission

Feb. 7, 2009

Campus free-speech thrives

While reading Thursday's edition of The Ball State Daily News, the campus student newspaper, I was reminded once again that the First Amendment protects unpopular speech, not just popular speech.

Our Revolutionary fathers knew that all too well. They had just cast off an unpopular king when they created the Bill of Rights in 1791. They knew that a democracy could only grow and evolve if all viewpoints were respected and tolerated.

Some of my colleagues -- and many on campus -- questioned the decision made by the paper's student editors to write and display prominently on the front page a story about a new student organization called Kinky Cardinals, which hopes to promote the safe practice and awareness of BDSM, to many defined as kinky sex.

The group is small and by all accounts one quite willing to get along with others who have differing views. Members are not pushy. The campus paper, supporting tolerance of the new group, commented in an editorial: "Open-mindedness and tolerance are key to college campuses that try to promote diversity."

Spoken like true Founding Fathers.

There is free speech with which I disagree, but I would defend the rights of speakers to say what's on their minds. Flag burning is one, for example. Personally, I find the practice detestible. But again, it is by a law a form of protected political protest.

We should defend anyone's right to speak about practices and viewpoints that might be unpopular. It is the American way after all.

In the same issue of the student paper, editors carried a story about the demise of a risque web site called JuicyCampus, which became infamous in the last year for its caustic and sometimes exploitative and sophomoric posts. One student leader said the site "tore apart" the Ball State community.

While many student leaders applauded the revenue-related closure of the fledgling business, I had to recall the First Amendment again -- and that idea that Americans have a deeply ingrained right to free speech, even if it is stupid and irresponsible.