Welcome to 2004! We welcome the New Year by making a few changes in Communicator, changes which we hope will make it easier for teachers to use the five sites in our Web suite. For example, we are distributing this issue in HTML format. If you can't read the HTML version, there is a link to a readable version. There is also a list of contents with links directly to the sections of Communicator.

Another change involves a new emphasis on explaining different features of the suite. One of the things we've learned from you is that you use the information we provide in creative ways that we would never have imagined. So our focus in "Monthly Feature" will be on guiding you to a specific resource on one of the Web sites and then getting out of the way!

Communicator will continue to offer a "Monthly Theme" and the other sections you've become accustomed to. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Cindy Koeppel - mailto:ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Monthly Feature - CongressLink's "Guide to Congress"
2. Monthly Theme - Civil Liberties: The First Amendment (Freedom of the Press)
3. Featured Grant-funded Project
4. News and Views from The Center
5. Trivia -- Media Minutiae
6. Postscript Information

1. CongressLink's "Guide to Congress"

January marks the beginning of the second session of the 108th Congress. This might be a good time to reacquaint yourself with the tools CongressLink - http://www.congresslink.org - provides to learn about your representatives in Congress.

Start with the site's Information Center -- http://www.congresslink.org/informationcenter.html -- and select the Guide to Congress feature -- http://capwiz.com/cl/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq?command=congdir. That link will take you to a search feature where you can locate individual members of Congress, congressional committees, congressional leaders, even key congressional staff offices and their telephone numbers.

Here's an example: The Dirksen Center is located in Illinois's 18th congressional district. Ray LaHood is the congressman. If I type his name in the Member search box, I am taken to a screen that lists his party affiliation, residence, marital status, previous occupation and political experience, education, birth date, birthplace, and religion. It tells me when he was first elected and by what percentage of the vote. The page links me to the committees on which he serves and to information about political action committee contributions to his campaign. There are also links to his Washington and district offices and to his key staff members. Options at the top of the screen take me to President Bush's site and to federal and state agencies throughout the country. By clicking on the Media Guide tab, I can find out what the major newspapers, television, and radio stations are in our district -- a handy search feature allows me to do the same for every state, too. The search results even give me links to each of the media outlets' own Web sites!

How might the Guide to Congress feature be used in the classroom? By selecting two or more congressmen or senators, students could see relatively quickly their similarities and difference. For example, you might have students research the characteristics of their two senators. The feature's easy way of linking to a member's Web site makes it possible for students to compare and contrast information presented on these sites - a kind of Web design and evaluation exercise. Since 2004 is an election year, the access to PAC contributions might prove interesting, too!

2. CIVIL LIBERTIES: THE FIRST AMENDMENT (FREEDOM OF THE PRESS) -- Freedom of the press often presents a conflict of rights. The resources in this issue of Communicator will help your students learn more about the freedom of the press and interpretations of those freedoms. One category of interpretation is known as prior restraint.

The Supreme Court in New York Times Co. vs. United States (1971) ruled that a prior restraint on publication of excerpts from the Pentagon Papers violated the First Amendment. Learn more about Prior Restraints and the Presumption of Unconstitutionality at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/historicaldocuments.htm#constitution

Do your students think the Supreme Court decision in New York Times vs. United States (1971) would be the same today? To help them answer this question, have them participate in a Supreme Court simulation designed to follow as closely as possible actual Supreme Court procedure. Find The Legacy of the Pentagon Papers at: http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Print.cfm?Type=L&LessonplanId=53&AuthorId=31

The Supreme Court has also maintained that obscene materials are not protected under the First Amendment. Do your students think city police should be able to confiscate any materials that are deemed to be obscene or pornographic according to community standards? Have them take the CongressLink political spectrum test to rate this and other statements at: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/politicalspectrumtest.htm.

*NEW* Have your students assess what they have learned about the First Amendment and the freedom of the press by taking the "American Constitutional Law" practice test including specific questions and instant feedback. Find Freedom of the Press at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/billofrights/2_billofrights.htm and click on "Chapter Five" to begin the fun!

3. FEATURED GRANT-FUNDED PROJECT

Have you considered developing lesson plans or student role-play activities that teach students about the significance of freedom of expression to help them see the consequences of applying certain forms of censorship to written media? If so, consider applying for a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grant. Find information about the program, including a sample grant proposal and a list of previously awarded grants at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm

4. NEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER

** CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Congress in the Classroom 2004 **

DEADLINE: March 15, 2004

The 2004 program theme will be Election 2004. Individual sessions will be offered on such topics as: (1) Election 2004, A View from Capitol Hill, (2) Finding the Right Candidate: The Recruitment Puzzle, (3) Covering a Political Campaign: A Media Perspective, (4) Predicting Who Will Win the Presidency, (5) Show Me the Money: Can One Buy the White House?, and many others.

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site -
http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm -- to see what participants say about the program. If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom 2004 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/CiCapplication.htm

** FINAL REMINDER: Congressional Research Awards **

DEADLINE: Proposals must be postmarked no later than February 1, 2004

Complete information about eligibility and application procedures may be found at The Center's Web site:
http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantcongresearchaward.htm Frank Mackaman is the program officer -- mailto:fmackaman@dirksencenter.org

5. MEDIA MINUTIAE

1. Government may impose punishments on a newspaper after it has published words lacking constitutional protection, such as libelous statements, but it may not exercise _____ __________ by preventing a publication before it gets released.

2. Near v. Minnesota (1931) articulated three exceptions to a general ban on prior restraint. Which of these circumstances is not an acceptable condition for prior restraint as defined in this case?

A) libel
B) Obscenity
C) Advocation of the overthrow of government
D) Revealing of military secrets

Answers to the December issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia link here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia1203ans.htm

Happy New Year! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel at mailto:ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org Your feedback makes a difference!

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