1.

The U.S. government has ruled that the First Amendment doesn't give journalists the right to protect their sources. Nevertheless, press organizations have managed to convince legislators in thirty states and the District of Columbia to pass shield laws that afford the media varying degrees of protection against being forced to disclose information about their sources.

These laws vary greatly from state to state. In many states without shield laws, state courts have recognized some form of qualified privilege. In others, the state constitution may include "free press" provisions, which are similar to the First Amendment and offer qualified protection. There are several states, such as Hawaii and Wyoming, where no privilege to protect unpublished sources or information has been recognized by the courts or the legislature. (Joseph Turow, Media Today, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, p. 106)

a.	fact
b.	mix of fact and opinion

2.

At the time when few Americans could separate fact from fantasy, the Hiss and Rosenberg cases tarnished liberalism and fueled other loyalty investigations. Only a conspiracy, it seemed, could explain U.S. weakness and Soviet might. Frustrated by their unexpected failure to win the White House in 1948, Republicans eagerly exploited the country's fearful mood and abandoned restraint in accusing the "Commiecrats" of selling out America.

No individual would inflict as many wounds on the Democrats as Republican senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin. Falsely claiming to be a wounded war hero, "Tail-Gunner Joe" won a Senate seat in the 1946 Republican landslide and promptly gained a reputation for lying and heavy drinking. His political future in jeopardy, McCarthy decided to imitate Republicans like Richard Nixon who had gained popularity by accusing Democrats of being "soft on communism." (Paul S. Boyer et al., The Enduring Vision, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004, p. 838)

a.	fact
b.	mix of fact and opinion

3.

The first significant national labor organization to emerge was the Knights of Labor, which was formed as a secret society in 1869 by Uriah Stephens, a reformer and abolitionist from Philadelphia. Membership reached approximately 700,000 by 1886. One major goal of the Knights was to eliminate the depersonalization of the worker that resulted from mass production technology. Another was to improve the moral standards of both employees and society. To the detriment of the group, its leaders concentrated so intently on social and economic change that they did not recognize the effects of technological change. Moreover, they assumed that all employees had the same goals as the Knights' leaders—social and moral reform. (William Pride et al., Business, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005, p. 339)

a.	fact
b.	mix of fact and opinion

4.

The causes of the Knights' [of Labor] decline and the erosion of their cultural and political networks have long been an occasion for historical controversy; and without directly entering the lists, it is worthwhile to examine several factors that would reappear as obstacles. The Knights' power on the railways, for example, was undermined by the defection of the engineers, who were bribed and pampered by railway barons grown keenly aware that this group of workers could shut down the entire economy. After 1885, under the right-wing leadership of Grandmaster Arthur, the engineers never again officially struck or came to the aid of fellow railway workers. (Adapted from Mike Davis, Prisoners of the American Dream, London and New York: Verso Press, 1999, p. 32)

a.	fact
b.	mix of fact and opinion