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For Teachers: Human Rights : Exploring Freedom of Expression

Lesson Introduction

In order to understand what freedom of expression is (articulated in Article 19 of the United Nations "Universal Declaration of Human Rights") students first need to be able to define expression and recognize its various forms. This lesson focuses primarily on the freedom of speech, but it also examines the right to have an opinion and express that opinion without interference from any person or government.

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights", 1948

Grade Level: 9-12

Time Allotment: Two to four 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter: Freedom of expression

Learning Objectives:

Students Will

Use primary sources such as news reports and video to gather information about current events and recent world history.

Analyze the information gathered from these primary resources to draw conclusions about freedom of expression and its various forms.

Encourage students to form and create their own individual ideas and concepts about freedom of expression.

Gain a broader view and understanding of freedom of expression and of Article 19 of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (UNDHR) and the effect it has on the United States, themselves and the global community as a whole.

Academic Standards:

National Standards for History
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/thinking5-12-5.html
Standards 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F

National Standards for Social Studies
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/

IX.

Preparation

Media Components

Video

WIDE ANGLE
Thirteen/WNET New York's weekly series of one-hour international documentaries, hosted by Mishal Husain.
"The Russian Newspaper Murders" -- (Thurs., July 8, 2004)
Learn about the risks confronting independent journalists in modern-day Russia as they try to expose organized crime and government corruption.

Web Sites

The American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/
This Web site is for The American Civil Liberties Union, our nation's guardian of liberty. They work daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Their job is to conserve America's original civic values -- represented by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Article 19
http://www.Article19.org/
This Web site is for the organization of Article 19. Article 19 was named after Article 19 of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights", and works worldwide to combat censorship by promoting freedom of expression and access to official information.
Canadian Journalist for Freedom of Expression
http://www.cjfe.org/protestlets/1996/russia.html
This is the Web site for an Article written by Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression (CJFE). CJFE is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of free expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and contribute to the development of media freedom throughout the world. CJFE recognizes these rights are not confined to journalists and strongly supports and defends the broader objective of freedom of expression in Canada and around the world.
The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1211/p01s01-usju.html
The Christian Science Monitor is an international daily newspaper published Monday through Friday. Founded in 1908, it's now also a multimedia Web site, has an e-mail edition, a personal digital assistant (PDA) edition, and a downloadable PDF of the print version. Unlike most U.S. dailies, the Monitor does not rely primarily on wire services (as AP and Reuters do) for its international coverage. They have writers based in 11 countries, including Russia, China, France, the UK, Kenya, Mexico, Israel, and India, as well as throughout the U.S.
The Committee to Protect Journalists
http://www.cpj.org/index.html
This Web site is for The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1981. It promotes worldwide freedom of the press by defending the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.
Find Law for Legal Professionals
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/
getcase.pl?court=va&vol=1010123&invol=1
This location is for the FindLaw Web site. FindLaw is the highest-trafficked legal Web site, providing the most comprehensive set of legal resources on the Internet for lawyers, businesses, students, and individuals. FindLaw began in 1995 as a list of Internet resources compiled by engineer and attorney Timothy Stanley and attorney Stacy Stern for a workshop of the Northern California Law Librarians. The response to the material was so positive that the team decided to post it on the Web so that others could use it as well. In January 1996, FindLaw was launched, and it continues to grow in scope as well as in popularity.
First Amendment Center
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org
This is the location of the First Amendment Center's Web site, featuring comprehensive research coverage of key First Amendment issues and topics, a unique First Amendment Library and guest analyses by respected legal specialists.
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org
This Web site is for Human Rights Watch the largest human rights organization based in the United States. Human Rights Watch researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world. Human Rights Watch then publishes those findings in dozens of books and reports every year, generating extensive coverage in local and international media.
Human Rights Watch (see above)
Press Release -- "Stop Continued Harassment of Independent Journalists in Kyrgyzstan"
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/05/03/kyrgyz8526.htm
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm
This location is the Web page for the United Nations office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Jamestown Foundation - Eurasia Daily Monitor
http://www.eng.yabloko.ru/Publ/2004/Internet/07_12/040714_edm.html
This Web site is for an Article produced in part by the Jamestown Foundation. The Jamestown Foundation's mission is to inform and educate policy makers and the broader policy community about events and trends in those societies which are strategically or tactically important to the United States, and which frequently restrict access to such information. Utilizing indigenous and primary sources, Jamestown's material is delivered without political bias, filter or agenda. It is often the only source of information which should be, but is not always, available through official or intelligence channels, especially in regard to Eurasia and terrorism.
PRAVDA ON-LINE
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/397/13344_Khlebnikov.html
This Web site is for the Internet newspaper PRAVDA ON-LINE, which was launched in January of 1999 and was the first Russian newspaper of its kind? The newspaper called PRAVDA analyzes events from the point of view of the Party's interests, whereas PRAVDA ON-LINE takes a pro-Russian approach to forming its policy.
Reporters Without Borders
http://www.rsf.org
This is the Web site for Reporters Without Borders, an association officially recognized as serving the public interest. More than a third of the world's people live in countries where there is no freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders works constantly to restore these people's right to be informed. Forty-two media professionals lost their lives in 2003 for doing what they were paid to do, namely keeping us informed. Today, more than 130 journalists around the world are in prison simply for doing their job. In Nepal, Eritrea, and China, journalists can spend years in jail just for using the "wrong" word or photo. Reporters Without Borders believes imprisoning or killing a journalist is like eliminating a key witness and threatens everyone's right to be informed. It has been fighting such practices for more than 18 years.
United Nations Cyberschool Bus
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus
This is the United Nation's Cyberschoolbus Web site and was created in 1996 as the online education component of the Global Teaching and Learning Project, whose mission is to promote education about international issues and the United Nations. The Global Teaching and Learning Project produces high quality teaching materials and activities designed for educational use (at primary, intermediate, and secondary school levels) and for training teachers. The vision of this Project is to provide exceptional educational resources (both online and in print) to students growing up in a world undergoing increased globalization.
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2004-07-10-forbes-editor_x.htm
This is the Web site for the electronic version of the USA TODAY newspaper. USA TODAY is completely edited and composed in McLean, Virginia. It is then transmitted, via satellite, five days a week, to the thirty-six printing plants serving major market clusters across the U.S.A., and to four printing plants serving Europe and Asia.
WASHINGTON POST.COM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=Article
&node=&contentId=A32534-2001Nov2¬Found=true
This is the Web site for an Article published by the WASHINGTON POST.COM. The Washington Post Company is a diversified media and education company whose principal operations include newspaper and magazine publishing, television broadcasting, cable television systems, electronic information services, and educational and career services.
WIDE ANGLE
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/index.html
This Web site supports the PBS program WIDE ANGLE, a weekly series of one-hour international documentaries, hosted by Mishal Husain.

Materials

Per Class:

Chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster paper
Appropriate writing utensil for your writing surface
Copies of appropriate videos
VCR/TV
Scotch tape (necessary if you are using poster paper to display students' work.)

Per Student:

Copy of Student Worksheet #1
Copy of UNDHR (Article 19)
Pen or Pencil

Procedures

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching, bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson and create a Microsoft Word document with all of the Web sites as hyperlinks for the students to access the sites. Make sure that your computer and the computer the students will be using have the necessary media players to play any video clips. These are Shockwave, Real Video, and Quicktime. Cue any videotapes to the segment(s) you plan on using to support your lesson. When using media, provide students with a focus for media interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

What is freedom of expression, and how does freedom of expression play a role in a country and its people's safety, security, and growth? And how does a country's position on freedom of expression affect their role in the global community?

Step 1:
Explain to your students that you will be examining freedom of expression. Ask your students to brainstorm a definition for freedom of expression, as well as to create a short list of types of expression of which they are currently aware. Have them record their ideas individually or in small groups or teams. Then have the students share their definitions and forms of expression during an open classroom discussion. Write the students' responses on your blackboard, whiteboard, or poster paper. Make sure that your discussion addresses some of these questions:

What is expression?
What types of forms can expression take?
Is restricting freedom of expression ever justified?
Are there types of expression that are dangerous? Explain.
What factors might play a role in determining what types of expression are dangerous (access to resources/wealth, social status, type of government, gender etc.)? Explain.
Who should determine what constitutes dangerous expression?
Do countries have different definitions of freedom of expression?
Do different states in the U.S. have different guidelines for what can be written, broadcast, etc.?

Using the information gathered above, as a class develop your own class definition of expression and its various forms. Also come to a consensus on what it means to have freedom of expression and what factors help determine what types of expression could be dangerous to a person, community, government, or country. Explain.

Suggested Web sites for general information regarding freedom of expression:

Learning Activities

General Freedom of Expression Research based on the Russian Journalist Murders and a United States freedom of expression case, "Barry Elton Black vs. Virginia", involving cross burning.

Ask students in what ways do they hear about freedom of expression in the news today. Make sure to reference the introductory discussion list you created as a class.

Provide students with a focus for media interaction, asking them to read and outline the general facts and information available. Students may take notes on the Student Worksheet #1. Through this activity students will begin to understand some of the challenges that are faced when examining issues of freedom of expression. Students may need assistance understanding some of the legal language used in determining the main ideas, so it may be helpful to complete one or two examples together.

After students have completed taking notes, check for understanding. Specifically, begin to prepare students for the more in-depth research they will be conducting during the culminating activity.

Divide the class into two groups: one that will focus on the Russian Journalist Murders and one that will focus on the burning of the cross in Virginia.

Have the students begin by looking up Article 19 of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". Using the UNDHR definition, have them begin reading about the Russian Journalist Murders and the burning of the cross in Virginia. (At this time they should just be gathering quick notes and ideas. There will be more time during the Culminating Activity for them to collect more details and information.)

Russian Journalist Web resources:

US Cross Burning Case Web resources:

Culminating Activity

Step 1:

As a class, review what the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" -- Article 19 states regarding freedom of expression.

Have your students divide back into their research groups: one group focusing on the Russian Journalist Murders and Freedom of Speech paying particular attention to the press and media, and the other group considering Freedom of Speech paying particular attention to the cross burning case in Virginia.

Give each group more research time to prepare a presentation and a position using the Internet and any other research materials you may have gathered during the learning activity. Be sure to give them a focus for media interaction based on their particular topic. For example, what did the Supreme Court state as the reason for allowing the cross burning in the case of Black vs. Virginia?

Have each group of students write a summary of facts and information based on their research focus. They will be using their research to support to the class their position regarding freedom of expression in regards to either the Russian Murder cases or the burning of the cross in Virginia.

Be sure to ask the students to think about the global issues involved. For example, how have the murders of Russian journalist affected journalists in other countries? Has it? And how does the Virginia cross burning case in the United States affect global freedom of expression issues? How does the United States' First Amendment relate to the United Nations Article 19?

Step 2:

When the students have completed their research, ask them to present the information and facts to the other group of students. Have them first give an explanation of the case(s) they were researching, of what the major freedom of expression issues involved were, and of how they gathered their information. What sources did they use? Were they able to find ample information and resources?

Have each group state what they determined regarding freedom of expression through their research projects.

Possible Questions to Pose:

Russian Journalist Group:

Do the students feel that Russian Journalists are being murdered because of what they are writing?
Do the students feel that the government is or was involved in any way in threatening or censoring what Russian journalists investigate and report?

US Cross Burning Case:

Do the students agree with the Supreme Court's decision? Why or why not?
How does the Supreme Court's decision fit into the global definition of freedom of expression used in the UNDHR's Article 19?
Does or should the U.S. First Amendment play a role in the global community's discussion of freedom of expression? Why or why not?

Step 3:

Now that your students have had time to investigate free press issues on their own, have them view the host interview with Ann Cooper, the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, in which she discusses with host Mishal Husain threats to free press in Russia and elsewhere. The interview can be found on the WIDE ANGLE Web site under the link for "The Russian Newspaper Murders".

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/russia

After the students have watched the interview, ask them to compare Ann Cooper's opinions with their own regarding issues of free press.

Did Ms. Cooper's opinions change any of the student's ideas regarding free press? How or why?

Did the interview with Ann Cooper raise issues for the students that they had not thought of before they listened to the interview?

Step 4:

Following the presentations, allow students to ask questions and debate as a class the information they were presented.

Use the definition of freedom of expression that the class developed in the introductory activity and create a new definition if needed.

Now that your class has a strong understanding of freedom of expression, have them view the "The Russian Newspaper Murders".

Give them the focus for media interaction. In this film, how does the filmmaker investigate freedom of expression in Russia, and how is the Russian government addressing the murders of the journalists?

WIDE ANGLE: "The Russian Newspaper Murders"
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/russia

Cross Curricular Extensions

Freedom of expression and the Internet -- design a Web site
Journalism -- writing for the student newspaper
Mock trial -- take the discussion further by creating a mock trial in your classroom.

Mock trial information can be found at the American Bar Association Web site http://www.abanet.org/publiced/lawday/ideas/sumner99.html.

Community Connections

Contact local organizations that are involved in changing local and country-specific freedom of expression policies. A number of national organizations, such as Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations, have activities specifically designed to inform students about how to take an active role in changing country policies.