January 5, 2016 the basics topic: Jason Rezaian and Freedom of the Press Articles

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  “Americans seek swap in US reporter case, says Iranian official” (1/3/16) (Reuters)
  
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  “US reporter jailed in Iran allowed Christmas visit by family” (12/26) (The Times of Israel)
  
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  “China, Egypt imprison record numbers of journalists” (12/15) (Committee to Protect Journalists)
  
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  “A journalist who was held prisoner in Iran explains why the regime fears people like Jason Rezaian” (11/24) (Business Insider)
  
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  “A Reporter Goes on Trial in Tehran” (5/26/15) (The Atlantic)
  

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  Who is Jason Rezaian? Why is his dual American-Iranian citizenship a possible issue? Does Iran view Rezaian’s imprisonment as a national issue or an international issue?
  
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  What are the rights and responsibilities of reporters in the United States? In other countries?
  
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  What does the United Nations resolution on the safety of journalists say? Is it enforceable?
  
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  What is Reporters without Borders?
  
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  How does Iran’s justice system work? What are the guarantees of a free trial in the United States? How does a secret trial in Iran reflect the lack of human rights guarantees? How does the lack of an end date for Rezaian’s imprisonment violate his rights?
  
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  What is the Revolutionary Guard? Why might a struggle for power within Iran be responsible for actions similar to the arrest of journalist Rezaian?
  
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  Who is Maziar Bahari? What does hi experience in Iran as an arrested journalist tell us about Jason Rezaian? What does the film “Rosewater”, about Bahari’s imprisonment, suggest about Iran’s attitude toward reporters?
  
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  Why are 58 media workers imprisoned in Iran?
  
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  What message does Rezaian’s arrest and sentencing send to other journalists in Iran? To the citizens of Iran? To the outside world?
  
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  What might be the connection between the conviction and the recent Nuclear Treaty with Iran? Could or should the State Department have called for Rezaian’s release, as a condition of the nuclear deal it reached in August with Iran?
  
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  Why is a reporter the key to the transparency that is necessary for a democracy? Why are reporters vulnerable to changing conditions in countries from which they report? How do reporters help us understand world events?
  
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  Why would Iran want to imprison Jason Rezaian? Are there Iranian citizens who are imprisoned in the Untied States? Might Iran be interested in trading Rezaian for the 19 Iranian nationals currently in US prisons?
  
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  What powers does the United States have to influence the government of Iran to free Rezaian?
  
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  What can journalists do to support reporters who are deprived of their right to report the news? In the USA? In other countries?
  
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  What should newspapers do to encourage the release of Jason Rezaian? What should they refrain from doing?
  
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  How are guarantees of free of the press related to recent demonstrations on college campuses?
  
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  Are there equivalencies between the imprisonment of Jason Rezaian and what our government has done at Guantanamo since 2001?
  

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  “Iranian American reporter faces espionage trial in Iran” (PBS Newshour)
  
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  “2015: Journalists Imprisoned” (Reporters without Borders)
  
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  “What’s actually happening with Jason Rezaian and Iran?” (timeline) (albawaba)
  
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  “The Iranian Judicial System and the Fate of Washington Post Reporter Jason Rezaian” (The Diane Rehm Show)
  

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  “The Price of a Free Press: Is Journalism Worth Dying For?” (PBS POV)
  
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  “Journalists and the Constitution” (Frontline)
  

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  “Resolution Reaffirming Freedom of Press Passes Senate” (12/10/15) (politicalnews.me)
  
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  “The First Amendment and Press Freedom” (about.com)
  

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  “Wyden Commemorates World Press Freedom Day” (Ron Wyden)
  

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  “Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier: Freedom of Student Press?” (shmoop.com)
  

8.18. Examine and analyze important United States documents, including (but not limited to) the Constitution, Bill of Rights, 13^th-15^th Amendments.

8.21. Analyze important political and ethical values such as freedom, democracy, equality, and justice embodied in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the united States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

HS.9. Identify historical and current events, issues, and problems when national interests and global interest have been in conflict, and analyze the values and arguments on both sides of the conflict.

HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.

HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

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  Unit 5, Lesson 23: How does the Constitution protect freedom of expression?
  

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  Unit 5, Lesson 29: How does the First Amendment protect free expression?