Censorship children

Thirty-six percent of American high school students believe that the media has too much freedom and should be screened by the government before going to press. This figure represents the most troubling facet of the trend I touched on last week: the growing attraction toward censorship. More than one in three students fail to recognize the intent of the First Amendment and the protection the press affords. Granted, teenagers aren't exactly the most wise or experienced demographic (when I was their age, I thought communism was a good idea and pleather pants looked fantastic), so they are not to be held fully responsible for their horribly skewed perception of freedom. They are quick to band together against the establishment when freedom of expression is threatened, but so many are now calling for a nasty concept known as prior restraint. Why? Because children learn by example. \nLet's have a quick refresher course on freedom of the press, shall we? Not so very long ago, a group of brilliant people (albeit white, male elitists) came forth and designed a beautiful balance of federal powers where each branch of government has its eye steadfastly on the others. It was then proposed that the public be given even further power to check the government. This proposal materialized as the First Amendment, where the sweet rights of speech, press, petition, religion and assembly stand side-by-side. The press in particular was envisioned to be the shadow always lurking behind the government, keeping it in line and holding it responsible. With this provision, the government cannot force the press to go through any prescreening or censorship process. For now.\nCurrently, our freedom as an unfettered watchdog is under very real attack, mostly from the Bush administration and its propaganda-spouting supporters. If you pay attention to conservative media criticism outlets like Accuracy in Media and Fox News, among others, you would notice that seemingly, at least once a month, they call for the imprisonment of journalists who expose some ugly, yet very true thing the administration has done. The president himself has been quoted multiple times voicing his opinions about the free press -- that we are treasonous America-haters, who are unpatriotic for telling the truth about his presidency. Well Mr. President, the framers of our Constitution must have been treasonous too, because that's exactly what they intended the press to do. Of course the Bush administration wants to gag those charged with exposing corruption; the appalling litany of their trespasses alludes to how much they still have to hide. \nBe careful, America. Look at today's youth, and be very concerned. They are the distilled mirror for the older generations. They are calling for censorship because they have been convinced by their parents, teachers and leadership that holding the government accountable is wrong. We are not teaching them to "love freedom," as all of George Bush's addresses make some saccharine allusion to. No, we are teaching them to fear freedom, and in that fear rings the death knell of democracy.