Wilderness Proposal Leads to First Amendment Controversy

          Let's say you're working for National Geographic and you wish to photograph a certain tree species for your article, shouldn't you be allowed to? Well, the government says not so fast... According to the following article: (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-forest-service-wilderness-proposal-sparks-first-amendment-fight/) The United States Forest Service has created a proposal that maps out new rules and restrictions requiring permits in order for any media group or organization to film or take photos in over 100 million acres of US wilderness. According to the new rules, in order for a member of a media organization to obtain permission to photograph or shoot in a national park, he or she would be required to seek approval from the US Forest Service, as well as be subject to fees as high as $1500 for the commercial filming or photographing.

          Many argue that the issue here isn't simply the fact that the government wishes to charge fees for photographing nature, but rather the fact that the restrictions are quite possibly in direct violation with the First Amendment and the right to freedom of press. Some media organizations worry that the new law would then allow the government to decide what's "newsworthy" and what isn't. What if the US Forest Service simply doesn't like an idea for a story? Should it be allowed to deny the media organization the right to obtain footage that would allow for its publication to be made possible?

photo credit: http://www.nationalforests.org/blog/explore-national-forests-near-national-parks