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[1] There are some kinds of speech that are not protected under the First Amendment--including defamatory falsehoods that destroy a person’s reputation, threats against the life of the President, and inciting an audience to illegal action in circumstances where the audience is likely to carry out the action.1 Otherwise, the Supreme Court has held--and most experts in communication ethics have agreed--that public speakers have an almost unlimited right of free expression.2

[2] In contrast to this view, it has been argued that some ideas are so dangerous, so misguided, or so offensive that society has a duty to suppress them.1 But who is to determine which ideas are too dangerous, misguided, or offensive to be uttered?2 Who is to decide which speakers are to be heard and which are to be silenced?3 As Edward Kennedy explains in his acclaimed speech “Truth and Tolerance in America,” once we succumb to the temptation of censoring ideas with which we disagree, “we step onto a slippery slope where everyone’s freedom is at risk.”4

[Lucas, The Art of Public Speaking, 8th edition, p. 49]

1

The First Amendment grants Americans the unlimited right of free speech.
A)True
B)False
2

In paragraph 2, sentence 1, the author of this passage expresses his own opinion.
A)True
B)False
3

The Supreme Court issues rulings on how Constitutional Amendments, including the First Amendment, should be interpreted.
A)True
B)False
4

There is debate as to what kinds of speech can or should be censored.
A)True
B)False
5

The following kinds of speech are protected as “free speech”:
A)statements of radical politics
B)lies about a person that harm that person’s reputation
C)threats against the President
D)shouting “fire” in a crowded theater, when no fire exists
6

In parargraph 1, sentence 1, the word “defamatory” means
A)damaging to a reputation
B)celebrated
C)flammable
D)cruel
7

Which of the following statements represents an opinion?
A)Legal experts agree that there are some kinds of speech not protected by the First Amendment.
B)Public speakers should have unlimited freedom of expression.
C)Some scholars argue that certain ideas must be censored for the greater good.
D)Most would agree that it’s difficult to draw the line between free speech and dangerous or offensive speech that should be limited.
8

When Kennedy refers to a “slippery slope,” he means that
A)we will fail.
B)we will behave immorally.
C)we will have difficulty finding the right balance.
D)we will enjoy a challenge.





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