Television was the first source for major news stories for about half of all responding (49 percent), followed by the Internet at 15 percent, radio at 13 percent and newspapers at 10 percent – which places traditional news media (TV, radio and newspapers) as the first source for 72 percent of Americans,” the First Amendment Center says. “Twitter, e-mails and social-networking sites each were named by 1 percent of those responding.”

Seventy-one percent of survey respondents agreed with the necessity of a free press, but fewer knew the scope of the First Amendment. Just 4 percent of those questioned could name “petition” as one of the five freedoms in the First Amendment; 55 percent could only name freedom of speech, and fewer than 20 percent named the freedoms of religion, press and assembly.

Nearly one in five Americans (19 percent) saw the First Amendment as “going too far” in the rights it guarantees.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says:

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.