Ombudsman columns
Page 6 of 11
Speech police — on the left and right — trample freedom of expression in the name of virtue
Ombudsman David Lowenthal, professor emeritus of political science at Boston College, offered an argument for censorship of the entertainment media in an article recently published in The Weekly Standard. Lowenthal is inspired by two convictions: That Hollywood is dishing out too much sex and violence and that we consumers like it too much for our own good.
09.08.99
A little less churn in the press pool, please
Ombudsman Sydney H. Schanberg is one of the nation's journalistic treasures. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the fall of Cambodia in 1975. He has distinguished himself in the reporting craft at The New York Times and Newsday. He has fought fiercely for press freedom. His work and his integrity stand as a caution to indiscriminate bashers of the press.
08.30.99
Crime on campus: What colleges won't tell you
Ombudsman In the next few weeks, 10.4 million students will be settling in on the nation's college and university campuses. They look forward to learning, maturing, perhaps partying a little. Some will be more prepared than others for this academic adventure, but very few will be prepared for the amount and nature of crime they will encounter on those campuses.
08.23.99
Fear of freedom puts First Amendment at risk
Ombudsman There are among us self-appointed and self-anointed guardians of culture and morality who believe that the rest of us have too much freedom. In their insistent opinion, our culture is too coarse, our speech too uncivil, our tastes too crude.
08.16.99
People think press too free; government only too happy to make it less so
Ombudsman To the amazement of people living elsewhere, the majority of Americans think that our press is too free. More ominously, a goodly number of police, judges and political leaders who should know better pander to that attitude by harassing journalists and restricting their efforts to keep the public apprised of what the officials are up to.
08.09.99
Hollywood: the power and the evil
Ombudsman All eyes turn to Hollywood these days in search of both blame and remedy for whatever ails us at the moment.
07.26.99
Zoning out the First Amendment
Ombudsman The First Amendment often frustrates the efforts of local government officials to punish adult businesses.
07.19.99
Dr. Laura: Wronging our rights in the library
Ombudsman While radio talk host Dr. Laura Schlessinger complains about online porn and pedophilia, the librarians she blames carefully craft acceptable Internet-use policies and provide a tap on the shoulder to those who don't adhere.
07.12.99
Notwithstanding the Constitution ...
Ombudsman Here's the game politicians are playing with First Amendment freedoms: When problems prove hard to solve, outlaw offending speech so it looks like we're doing something.
07.06.99
State of the First Amendment:A survey of public attitudes
Ombudsman Most Americans celebrate the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. Yet they are not entirely comfortable with those freedoms. They are constantly reevaluating their commitment to First Amendment rights and values and rearranging their priorities, asking themselves whether life would be more civil, more orderly, less threatening if the excesses of expression were somehow subdued.
07.02.99
Page last updated: 10/1/2013 5:09:14 PM
