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By Roy Peter Clark

1. First Amendment -- The great granddaddy, grandmommy of them all; protector of five freedoms (can you name them?) So powerful you can stand on it, trample on it, wrap yourself in it -- as long as you dont shout FIRE in a crowded theater.
2. ASNE and SPJ codes of conduct -- While the Constitution ensured the freedom of the press, it took serious journalists to argue that with liberty comes responsibility.
3. The New York Times vs. Sullivan -- Gave journalists great protection in covering public figures. Malice became the standard for libel.
4. Hutchins Commission Report -- Supported by Henry Luce, the Hutchins Commission published in 1947 the requirements for a free and responsible press.
5. Kerner Commission Report -- Written in response to racial violence in the 1960s, this report contains an influential chapter on the role of the media in achieving racial justice.
6. Andrew Hamilton's defense of John Peter Zenger -- Although Zenger is the icon, it was his lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, who made the passionate case for an unfettered press.
7. Nelson Poynter's Standards of Ownership -- He called ownership of the St. Petersburg Times "a sacred trust" to readers on behalf of self-government. He willed his company to the nonprofit school that would become The Poynter Institute.
8. Pentagon Papers decision -- Pitted the Nixon administration against The New York Times and the Washington Post. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously for the papers' courageous battle against prior restraint.
9. "Elements of Style" by Strunk & White -- Better and more concise than any journalism stylebook, this little classic has been the standard bearer for style and correct usage.
10. Freedom of Information Act -- A huge doorway into government secrecy, too often abused in both the asking and the receiving.
11. CBS manual of standards and practices -- Argued early on that news and entertainment values should never be confused.
12. Edward R. Murrow's speech at the RTNDA convention -- A last call by a disappointed man for greatness in television journalism.
13. "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell -- An oft-quoted argument that government abuse and language abuse go hand in hand.
14. Melvin Mencher's journalism textbook -- No other teacher of the craft has taken journalism so seriously and described it so eloquently.
15. Magna Carta -- Lords yeah! King boo! The ancient inklings of balance of power.
16. Manifesto on New Journalism by Tom Wolfe -- Still inspires journalists to write stories -- not just reports -- by using scenes, dialogue and point of view.

Full post as published by Writing Tools on March 12, 2008 (boomark / email).