Defend the proposition that the Bill of Rights in necessary today Essay

Defend the proposition that the Bill of Rights in necessary today - Essay Example The First Amendment is the glue that holds the countries hard-fought-for freedoms intact. The foundation of the American criminal justice system is founded upon the right to due process of law (Fifth Amendment) and the right to a speedy, public and fair trial along with the right to counsel and to confront the accuser, (Sixth Amendment). The Second Amendment states â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). Obviously, the right to own arms was of supreme importance to the Founders given that it was listed second only after the freedom of religion and speech was documented in the First Amendment. These four Amendments are invoked regularly today, argued and debated in and out of court. Each is necessary for the freedoms we all enjoy and as relevant today as they were imagined to be when conceived by the Founding fathers. The First Amendment states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). ... Journalists who questioned the King’s decisions were often jailed or worse. The Founders knew that if the press were not free, the country would not be either. The role of the media is critical to the preservation of freedom itself. The Constitutional right to freedom of expression and of the press includes the un-infringed right to investigate and publicly announce information or to espouse opinion. An effective media outlet must have editorial independence and serve a diversity of public interests uncontrolled by government or ideological influence. An adversarial relationship sometimes exists between mass media and the government regarding the public’s right to know balanced against matters of national security (Center for Democracy and Governance 1999 p. 5). Despite the criticisms of the press, would anyone in this country actually want press to stop doing its job? Journalists, as part of a free press, serve to enlighten the public regarding governmental activities as well as other items of common interest, often placing themselves in harm’s way for the benefit of others. America probably needs the freedom of the press today more so than in any other time in its history. The previous presidential administration stripped away freedoms at an unprecedented rate and ignored global and domestic concerns involving this nation in an illegal and immoral war all under the guise of the ‘war on terror.’ Politicians are as still corrupt as ever. The press should be held to the high standard they set for themselves and revered and recognized for the vital function they provide the country. Without the press and the constitutionally guaranteed freedom it enjoys in this nation, democracy could not endure. If they were to overstep their powers,