There’s some good news out this month from the First Amendment Center.

According to a recent survey, conducted with American Journalism Review, attitudes toward the First Amendment are returning to pre-Sept. 11 levels.

The shock of a massive terror attack on the United States left many people shaken and willing to trade some level of freedom for security. Now, almost two years later, the country is remembering how important our constitutionally protected rights are.

About 60 percent of those asked support the First Amendment. In addition, the survey found that 65 percent favor the policy of embedding journalists within combat units.

In another encouraging sign, almost half of Americans feel they have too little access to information about the war on terror and want more from the press.

As Ken Paulson, director of the First Amendment Center, said, “A sense that freedom was an obstacle in the war on terrorism was reflected last year. …

“Our nation appears to have caught its breath – and regained some perspective.”

The commitment to free speech and public access to government information is a hallmark of a democratic society. Open government and freedom of expression are good for us, good for the government and good for the world. We shouldn’t forget that.


Added protection
Common-sense changes to some banking rules were proposed last week by federal regulators. Financial institutions shouldn’t wait to adopt them.

The new rules would require banks to alert customers anytime there’s a security breach that could affect an individual’s account or put private information at risk. Also, banks would be required to more closely watch at-risk accounts, scrutinizing them for signs of fraud or identity theft. Some banks already do this. Others, as hard as it is to believe, don’t.

As the “Blaster” virus that attacked computers last week shows, the systems we rely on for everything from entertainment to paying bills are at risk. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t utilize technology. But it does mean we should be aware of the dangers out there.

Notifying customers when a potential problem exists is a good, proactive step in the fight against high-tech thieves. Banks would serve their clients well to adopt these procedures even before the new rules take effect next year.
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