COM CM 481 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: The New York Times, Appellate Court, Safety Valve
12 Sep 2018
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Almost no one believes the 1st amendment should be absolute --> must decide which exceptions to allow/which not to allow. In most other countries, there"s no equivalent (even in england!) Number of the amendment does not indicate importance. Reasons for the first amendment: freedom of expression = self-fulfillment, essential tool for advancing knowledge and discovering truth. Marketplace of ideas: if you let all ideas into the marketplace, truth will always win out: way to achieve a more stable and adaptable community. If you stifle speech, people become resentful --> results in revolution, violence, etc. Society doesn"t advance or change in any way: permits individuals to be involved in the democratic decision-making process. Marketplace failure: principle does not get played out irl (ex: antitrust laws) Fairness doctrine: some speech is more important than others. Safety valve theory: letting off steam by expressing ideas keeps people from engaging in other negative behavior (ex: violence)
