Rights – and Responsibilities – of the First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

So reads the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It’s a tall order, because it asks of us as a people to exercise a level of tolerance that can challenge the darkest parts of our nature. It asks us to accept pluralism as the American way of life, to accept that there is more than one idea to be considered, more than one point of view that may be valid. We’ve all experienced the urge to rant against those whose opinions we find contrary to our own, offensive or just downright ridiculous. The First Amendment asks us – even dares us – to overcome that urge.

When we at the Mirror first discussed establishing this blog, the type of information we wanted to provide, and the quality of information to be put forward, we were very much aware of our rights under the First Amendment’s provision for freedom of speech. We also had to seriously consider the responsibilities that go along with those rights, and since we were setting up the blog to allow for comments from our readers, we realized that there would be a certain degree of editorial responsibility that would need to be exercised as well. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, and we do, from time to time, post reminders that while we welcome your comments, we ask that you keep them respectful and free of personal attacks and unsubstantiated rumor. It is important to remember, we believe, that just because you have the right to say something does not mean that you are right to say it.

In composing the articles that appear on this blog, we are very careful that all stories are factual and all commentaries are based on fact, and we have asked the same of those posting comments. Since the inception of the Mirror, we have removed 13 comments – out of several hundred that have been posted. We do not do this lightly, as we believe that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion; however, when opinion crosses over the line to scurrilous gossip or outright libel, those comments will be removed. We do not accept that it is our right or the right of readers who post comments to engage in character assassination of public officials or to spread rumors or engage in lascivious gossip about the personal lives of public and private figures.

We will continue to be diligent in maintaining quality at The Everett Mirror. We will continue to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we will continue to review the comments posted here to ensure that the personal reputations of elected officials and private citizens are not maligned. We will continue to work to maintain that fine balance between legitimate and libelous commentary. This is shaping up to be a very interesting – and very contentious – election year, and it would be easy to fall into the trap of venting frustration and engaging in mudslinging in the pages of this and our sister blog site. We challenge ourselves – and our readers – to rise above our baser instincts and raise the level of debate to benefit us all.

Thank you.

The Staff of The Everett Mirror