Foreword


This 2001 edition of The First Amendment and the Media may strike the reader as new yet somehow familiar.  Indeed, much is new because this year’s volume is the first published under the auspices of The Media Institute’s Cornerstone Project.  Cornerstone is an ambitious program that celebrates the First Amendment through a variety of print materials, public service announcements, conferences, exhibits, and other efforts.

The Cornerstone Project’s impact on this publication should be readily apparent to readers of previous editions.  For example, this volume is standard book size rather than oversize.  At the same time the contents have been expanded to 54 chapters, making this the largest edition ever.  And perhaps most notably, this year’s book features an introduction by Floyd Abrams, one of the country’s finest and best known First Amendment attorneys.  Mr. Abrams has graciously agreed to serve as the Cornerstone Project’s First Amendment Counsel, and this introduction is but one mark of his involvement with the program -- a most auspicious debut.

As always, the book bears the strong imprint of The Media Institute’s First Amendment Advisory Council.  Robert Corn-Revere, chairman of the Council, again took on the daunting task of drafting the preliminary outline of chapter topics.  That outline continued to evolve from the group’s first working session in July 2000 until early 2001 as developments played out in Congress, regulatory agencies, and the courts.  Most of this year’s 18 chapter authors (another record number) are drawn from the ranks of the First Amendment Advisory Council.  We are most grateful to the chairman, the Council members, and our authors because their diligence and timeliness allowed us to release this volume while the lessons of 2000 were still fresh.

The very publication of this book can be seen as a celebration of the First Amendment  -- an affirmation that this constitutional guarantee is truly a vital and vibrant force in our democracy.  Yet it also serves as a reminder that free speech remains an ideal in an imperfect world, and that those who value freedom of expression must remain vigilant if the First Amendment is to remain strong.  That such people exist -- and willingly commit themselves to this cause of freedom -- is all the more reason for celebration.