First Amendment and Student Media

Two stories caught my attention today, and both have to do with the 1st Amendment as it applies to student media.

First, Number 2 Pencil has links to two interesting stories. In one, a 14-year-old girl has been arrested for proposing a "killer day" at school, and yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. But that's not near as interesting as the college student who "put a tape of himself having sex with an 'unidentified actress' on Koala TV, the campus's closed-circuit TV station."

Yeah, let's go for those prurient interests!

Erin O'Connor at Critical Mass provides the next interesting story. Seems that a group calling itself Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment (HOME) was passing out pamphlets at a university, and an English professor at said university offered up his opinion on the subject in the student newspaper. Without spoiling the story for you by sharing his comments, I'll merely give Erin's take on them:

I don't support H.O.M.E.'s views by a long shot. But I do support the group's right to peacefully promote its views, which it has the right to do on the campuses of public colleges and universities. White also has a right to express his views. But he seems not to realize that in using the student paper to express his views in such a nasty and vituperative way, he discredits himself, his colleagues, and his school. He has not modelled reasoned discourse or rational dissent, but has instead exemplified the very sorts of unthinking intolerance he thinks he is fighting. (emphasis mine--Darren)

That's usually the way it is with lefties.

I so want to quote the good professor, but I think it better that you go check out Critical Mass. I'd just be essentially copying that post anyway.