The First Amendment says, in part, that “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...” That protection from control by the federal government meant that anyone, rich or poor, and regardless of political or religious beliefs could generally publish whatever he or she wished. Although the First Amendment protects these freedoms from government interference, a code of ethics has been established that the press has to abide by in order to maintain the right to privacy and fair treatment of the information presented to the public. Television news journalists operate under an additional restriction called the Fairness Doctrine. Under this rule, when a news station presents one viewpoint on a controversial issue, the public interest requires that station to give representatives of opposing viewpoints a chance to broadcast a reply.
Reflection Questions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
What is the main idea of the information from the preceding paragraph?