Speech Rights in America
The First Amendment, Democracy, and the Media
Will be published approx. on 1. October 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
184 pages
978-0-252-07536-0 (ISBN)
Description
The First Amendment is the principle guarantor of speech rights in the United States. But the Supreme Court's interpretations of it often privilege the interests of media owners over those of the broader citizenry.
Laura Stein argues that such rulings alienate citizens from their rights, corrupt the essential workings of democracy, and prevent the First Amendment from performing its critical role as a protector of free speech. Drawing on the best of the liberal democratic tradition, Stein demonstrates that there is a significant gap between First Amendment law and the speech rights necessary to democratic communication, and proposes an alternative set of principles to guide future judicial, legislative, and cultural policy on old and new media.
Laura Stein argues that such rulings alienate citizens from their rights, corrupt the essential workings of democracy, and prevent the First Amendment from performing its critical role as a protector of free speech. Drawing on the best of the liberal democratic tradition, Stein demonstrates that there is a significant gap between First Amendment law and the speech rights necessary to democratic communication, and proposes an alternative set of principles to guide future judicial, legislative, and cultural policy on old and new media.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a thoughtful analysis ranging over history and recent cases."--Communication Booknotes Quarterly"An important work, offering sophisticated yet engaging analyses of First Amendment law and the media landscape in which we find ourselves in the United States."--Matthew Bunker, Reese Phifer Professor of Journalism, University of Alabama
"A forceful and intellectually comprehensive argument that the First Amendment should be a positive, not simply a negative, guarantee that empowers and perhaps obliges government to protect the public ends of free expression. . . . Stein brings a breadth of perspectives and material to the subject that few, if any, have managed to do. Her book is an original and important contribution to our understanding of free expression in America."--Randall P. Bezanson, author of How Free Can the Press Be?
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
1 table
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
286 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-252-07536-0 (9780252075360)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2006
University of Illinois Press
€16.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
10/2006
University of Illinois Press
€35.89
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Laura Stein is an assistant professor of communication at the University of Texas at Austin.
Content
Contents Acknowledgments 1. The First Amendment and Communication in Democratic Societies 2. Rethinking Speech Rights 3. Social Mediation in Print and Broadcast Media 4. The Right to Public Space 5. Democratic Speech Rights on the Internet 6. The Future of Democratic Communication Notes Bibliography Index