A Look at 2006 National Freedom of Speech Week October 16 - 22, 2006 In only its second year, National Freedom of Speech Week (NFSW) grew rapidly in terms of the number and types of groups participating, scope of activities, and geographic reach. By all accounts it was a successful event that laid the foundation for an even bigger and better celebration in 2007. Celebrating in a Big Way: American Lawyer Media A leading publisher of legal and business publications used its nationwide clout to celebrate the 2006 National Freedom of Speech Week with a vigorous show of support for First Amendment freedoms. Under the leadership of President and CEO William Pollak, American Lawyer Media (ALM) marked NFSW in numerous ways, from news stories to commentaries, from house ads to podcasts. When Media Institute First Amendment Advisory Council member Tony Mauro, ALM’s Supreme Court correspondent, proposed participating in the week, Pollak responded eagerly, asking all of the company’s media outlets to participate. The marketing department prepared house ads of various sizes that several of the company’s legal and business newspapers used during the week. Editors also responded in a variety of ways. In Miami, the Daily Business Review heralded the week with a banner above its name every day of the week. But it went well beyond that. In its issue of Oct. 16, reporter Julie Kay canvassed local experts to "take the temperature" of all clauses of the First Amendment in South Florida. She noted controversies ranging from book banning in public schools to clampdowns on the rights of demonstrators. On other days, the newspaper ran commentaries prepared for the week by Nat Hentoff, Paul McMasters, and Kevin Goldberg. Texas Lawyer, another ALM publication, weighed in with two podcasts on First Amendment issues - one on judicial speech and the other on the rash of subpoenas served on journalists requiring them to reveal confidential sources. In its Oct. 16 issue, National Law Journal, a weekly paper circulated nationwide, carried an opinion column by Media Institute Vice President Richard Kaplar on the reasons for establishing a National Freedom of Speech Week. Legal Times, ALM’s Washington, D.C., newspaper, weighed in with a story by Tony Mauro on the little-known phenomenon of Supreme Court briefs and petitions being filed under seal. Partnering Organizations: Key to Success National Freedom of Speech Week depends on the participation of many organizations around the country for its success. In its inaugural year of 2005, NFSW was orchestrated by The Media Institute in cooperation with the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, with the involvement of five other organizations. As the NFSW concept caught on, other groups joined the effort for a total of more than two dozen "Partnering Organizations" in 2006. Many of these groups had an interest in journalism and freedom of the press, such as the American Society of Newspaper Editors, National Press Photographers Association, Radio-Television News Directors Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Society of Professional Journalists. Others were advocates of free speech, like the First Amendment Center, National Coalition Against Censorship, and Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. Still others represented the legal community (e.g., American Bar Association) and the entertainment industry (e.g., Recording Industry Association of America). A number of educational institutions took part for the first time. These included the law schools of Arizona State University and the University of Richmond, and the communication departments of American University (Washington, D.C.), Central Washington University (Ellensburg, Wash.), and George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.). This small but significant beachhead in academia should grow substantially in future years as NSFW reaches out to the all-important audience of students and young people. On a related note, college communication majors were able to participate in NFSW for the first time in 2006 through the involvement of the National Communication Association. This is the umbrella organization for three societies whose members are college communications majors: Lambda Pi Eta, Sigma Chi Eta, and NCA Student Clubs. Also new in 2006 was the category of "Promotional Partners." These were corporations that provided in-kind advertising and promotional support for National Freedom of Speech Week. We were pleased to have the participation of AOL, Clear Channel Communications, and Google in this category. Wide-Ranging Activities Mark 2006 NFSW The larger and more diverse group of Partnering Organizations meant that the 2006 National Freedom of Speech Week was celebrated in new and innovative ways around the country. A small sampling of the many activities: The Media Institute kicked off the week with its annual Friends & Benefactors Awards Banquet. The black-tie event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., featured the presentation of the Institute’s Freedom of Speech Award to Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS. The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law of Arizona State University hosted an open discussion on Oct. 19, 2006 titled "Free Press & National Security: What Is the Role of a Free Press in a Time of War." It featured panelists Prof. Laurence H. Winer and Prof. Orde Kittrie of the ASU College of Law, Prof. Joseph Russomanno of the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Ward Bushee, editor of the Arizona Republic. Patrick Maines, president of The Media Institute, delivered opening remarks. At another western campus, the Central Washington University Department of Communication brought the Supreme Court justices of Washington State to campus on Oct. 18-19, 2006 to hold hearings and talk to students. The department also sponsored a presentation on Oct. 19 by hip-hop pioneers Chuck D and MC Lyte, who discussed the perils and possibilities for political expression through music. These activities were part of the department’s "2006-2007 First Amendment Festival," a campus-wide project featuring about two dozen free-speech events from Fall 2006 to Spring 2007. The National Communication Association asked its student members to wear their membership pins to show support for the week, and to add the NFSW logo to chapter websites. Articles about NFSW were featured in various newsletters, including the September 2006 issue of "Simply Speaking" published by one of the societies, Lambda Pi Eta. Many organizations posted the NFSW logo on their websites with a link to the NFSW site, www.freespeechweek.org. Many groups also issued press releases and encouraged their members to participate in various ways. A First Amendment attorney in Florida wrote an op-ed piece published in the Orlando Sentinel, and his firm presented a free-speech award to a student group at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Public service announcements (PSAs) were an important way of drawing attention to the week. The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation prepared public service announcements for radio and television stations and made them available for downloading on the NABEF web page. The radio spots were in 15- and 30-second lengths, in either English or Spanish. Promotional Partner Clear Channel Communications also prepared 30-second PSAs for radio stations around the country. Clear Channel produced one version for its own stations, and another "generic" version that any radio station could download from the NFSW website. AOL and Google, our other Promotional Partners, donated advertising space on their search pages. Anyone who searched for topics related to free speech or the First Amendment received an advertising link noting National Freedom of Speech Week and directing the user to the NFSW website. This was a significant source of exposure for the week. Efforts of The Media Institute This year The Media Institute created a new website devoted exclusively to National Freedom of Speech Week, www.freespeechweek.org. This site described the purpose of the week, allowed groups to register online as Partnering Organizations, suggested ways to celebrate the week, and offered many resources like downloadable graphics and PSAs, plus background essays and information on the First Amendment. The Institute is currently working with iFactory, a highly accomplished website design firm in Boston, on a large-scale remake of the NFSW website. The revamped site will include features that will facilitate the posting of updates and other germane material 12 months a year. Summing Up: A Success To Build On The 2006 National Freedom of Speech Week was a pivotal event. NFSW’s remarkable growth in only one year showed that there is widespread interest in such a celebration, and opened the door to new audiences and ways to reach them. The 2006 event set the stage for still bigger and better celebrations in 2007 and beyond, as National Freedom of Speech Week becomes the premier commemorative event recognizing free speech and freedom of the press.