2007 National Freedom of Speech Week
Sampling of Activities
In its third year, National Freedom of Speech Week (NFSW) enjoyed the participation of more organizations and reached a wider audience than ever.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) proudly supported National Freedom of Speech Week in 2007 by raising awareness of the week among its member cable systems and programming companies. NCTA invited The Media Institute to distribute NFSW fliers to participating executives at The Cable Show '07, the cable industry's principal annual conference and international exposition, attended by more than 15,000 industry participants in Las Vegas in May 2007.
NCTA also provided links from its website, ncta.com, to the NFSW site and encouraged its member companies to do the same. Periodic communications regarding the Week were distributed to the members of the NCTA Public Affairs Committee, comprising the lead communications and public affairs executives from most major cable companies and programmers.
In addition, Rob Stoddard, Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs for NCTA, issued a public statement during NFSW extolling the virtues of free speech and cable's commitment to the First Amendment. And NCTA was pleased to be a sponsor of the annual Washington, D.C., awards banquet of The Media Institute, which celebrated NFSW. NCTA looks forward to continuing its support of NFSW with expanded efforts in the years ahead.
Every Partnering Organization was responsible for developing its own NFSW activities. As a result, freedom of speech was celebrated during the week of Oct. 15-21, 2007, in a variety of creative ways. Below is a small sampling of projects and activities that Partnering Organizations conducted to commemorate the week.
National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation. The NABEF produced a new TV PSA with Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala agreeing on the importance of free speech. The PSA included closed captioning. NABEF also made available to stations all previous TV and radio PSAs (produced in 2006), including two Spanish-language PSAs (one for TV and one for radio). In addition, NABEF posted the NFSW logo on its website, and ran articles promoting NFSW and its PSAs in two NAB electronic publications.
Newspaper Association of America Foundation. NAAF posted three messages to the Newspapers in Education E-Forum that goes to approximately 1,000 NIE professionals around the country. NAAF also got the word out to young people by posting three messages to the YEA E-Forum that goes to about 250 youth editors throughout the nation.
American Society of Newspaper Editors. ASNE created a permanent link to the NFSW website (www.freespeechweek.org) and promoted NFSW on the First Amendment page of its website. ASNE also promoted NFSW on its home page prior to the week itself, and included it in the online calendar for its magazine, The American Editor.
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression teamed with The Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center to conduct a major First Amendment Conference in Washington Oct. 24 - 26. The event, held at the Woodrow Wilson Center and at the National Archives, gathered leaders of 25 of the country's top First Amendment groups for in-depth discussions on the state of the First Amendment and what could be done to advance freedom of speech. Many of the groups were also NFSW Partnering Organizations, including the two host organizations. The Scripps Foundation helped underwrite the event.
National Freedom of Speech Week on Campus
Students at the college level were among the most active participants in National Freedom of Speech Week. Departments of communication, law schools, and student organizations were the focal point of student involvement in 2007.
University of Virginia. The University of Virginia's Center for Politics held a day-long National Constitutional Convention on Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. The event was moderated by CBS News's Bob Schieffer and featured a keynote address by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. The convention included three panel discussions, question-and-answer periods, and real-time audience voting on proposed reforms. In addition, the Center's Youth Leadership Initiative alerted its 34,000 teachers about National Freedom of Speech Week by posting the NFSW logo on the YLI website with a direct link to the NFSW site.
Central Washington University. On Oct. 17, the CWU Department of Communication observed National Freedom of Speech Week during its "SpeakOut Central." This is an open forum held every Wednesday during lunch hour at which students are encouraged to exercise their freedom of speech. The Oct. 17 session took on special significance since it coincided with National Freedom of Speech Week.
National Communication Association. This umbrella group for students in communications sent a detailed release to its student organizations Lambda Pi Eta, Sigma Chi Eta, and NCA Student Clubs. NFSW was written up in the organizations' newsletters, and students were encouraged to wear their membership pins during the week. Faculty members associated with NCA, such as Sara Baker who teaches oral communication at San Diego State University, encouraged their students to engage in free speech activities during the week.
College newspapers were another means of promoting NFSW on campus. For example, the Daily Kent Stater at Kent State University in Ohio ran a story on NFSW in its features section and its online edition. That story, "Celebrate Your Rights - Say Something," discussed free speech and the value of observing NFSW.
Online Promotion
AOL Search, an NFSW Promotional Partner, included a customized module for queries related to freedom of speech during October 2007. The module featured the NFSW logo, the headline "Celebrate Free Speech," and a link to the NFSW website. Thanks to AOL Search, National Freedom of Speech Week gained widespread exposure among an audience interested in free speech topics.
Plans are now underway for National Freedom of Speech Week in October 2008. The NFSW website, www.freespeechweek.org, will be active and updated throughout the year.
