Celebration Moves Online to Greater Degree During Pandemic

FOR RELEASE: October 19, 2020

Contact: Richard T. Kaplar
The Media Institute
703-243-5700

Arlington, Va., October 19, 2020 – Free Speech Week (FSW) kicks off Monday, Oct. 19, and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 25.  Media groups, schools, universities, and community groups will use this week to promote free speech and freedom of the press through their own activities, both in person and virtual.  Individuals can celebrate using social media.

Free Speech Week is a non-partisan and non-political commemorative event, now in its sixteenth year.  The week promotes awareness of free speech and a free press in the United States among all age groups and walks of life.

Free Speech Week celebrates free speech and the First Amendment without promoting any political or ideological point of view.  It is intended to be a unifying celebration for all Americans at a time when speech increasingly has become a weapon in partisan attacks, and calls for restrictions on speech have become more numerous.

Media outlets and trade associations are participating as “Partnering Organizations,” displaying the FSW logo on their websites and publicizing the week.  Groups are invited to join as a partner on the FSW website.  There is no cost to register.

Colleges and universities across the country are also participating, giving students and professors an opportunity to discuss the meaning of free speech at a time when that freedom has come under heavy fire on many campuses.  Many discussions this year will switch to a virtual format as schools grapple with the pandemic.

For more information, follow FSW on Twitter @Freespeechweek, join the discussion on FSW’s Facebook Page, and find the latest information and ideas for celebrating on the Free Speech Week website.

Free Speech Week is an independent event created in 2005 by The Media Institute, which continues to provide promotional support and manages the FSW website.  FSW is not affiliated with any other organizers using that name for weeks bearing similar names.

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