Last Updated: May 20, 1999
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ASNE
on the move
Dear ASNE Members:
We now confront a threat to the First Amendment, which has defined and
defended our franchise as journalists for more than 200 years.
During the next several weeks, the U.S. Senate will almost certainly
take up the constitutional amendment to give Congress the power to punish
so-called desecration of the flag. The amendment already has carried the
House, and it almost certainly would be ratified by the legislatures in
three-fourths of the states.
This is the last, best change to defend the Bill of Rights against the
erosion that the amendment represents. As far as we can tell, the proponents
are still a few votes short of the two-thirds majority they need, which
puts profound pressure on those senators who are resisting the political
temptation to sign onto this bad idea.
And yet, the issue has received only scattershot attention in the pages
of America’s newspapers. Many citizens have never heard of the amendment,
while others have only a superficial impression that makes it seem harmless.
As editors, we bear most heavily the obligation to inform citizens about
this plan to alter the basic blueprint of liberty. As chairman of the Freedom
of Information Committee, I urge you to make sure this issue is thoroughly
covered, both in your news columns and editorial pages
If this amendment passes the Senate, it will diminish the liberties
that are the foundation of our democracy. If we stay silent in the weeks
leading up to this historic decision, we will be accomplices to this violence
against the principles upon which we particularly rely.
Thanks in advance for your efforts to call public attention to this
threat to liberty. Please send copies (or electronic versions) of any new
articles and editorials to me or to the ASNE headquarters and legal counsel.
Meanwhile,
Best regards,
Paul Tash
Chair, Freedom of Information Committee
