Floyd Abrams, Patrick Butler, and Richard E. Wiley To Be Honored;
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez Will Be Featured Speaker
FOR RELEASE: October 11, 2024
Contact: Richard T. Kaplar
The Media Institute
703-506-8030
Vienna, Va., October 11, 2024 – Two well-known television personalities will present awards at The Media Institute’s “Free Speech America” Gala on Oct. 29 at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Dan Abrams, host of Dan Abrams Live on NewsNation, On Patrol Live on Reelz, and Court Cam and Taking the Stand on A&E Network, will present the Freedom of Speech Award to renowned First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams.
Veteran journalist Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for the PBS News Hour whose career has spanned five decades, will present the American Horizon Award to public television leader Patrick Butler, who headed APTS for 13 years.
Dan Abrams is the chief legal affairs correspondent for ABC News, and also hosts The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets the Law on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel. He is the founder of the Law&Crime Network and Mediaite.com, among other media properties.
Judy Woodruff served for 11 years as anchor and managing editor of the PBS News Hour. In 2023, she launched “America at a Crossroads,” a two-year reporting project to better understand the country’s political divide. Earlier in her career she worked for CNN and NBC News.
Floyd Abrams has represented media companies in many high-profile First Amendment cases, including the Pentagon Papers case. Patrick Butler headed America’s Public Television Stations from 2011 to 2024 and earlier was senior vice president of The Washington Post Company.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez will be the event’s Featured Speaker. The evening will include the presentation of a special Lifetime Achievement Award to Media Institute Chairman of the Board and former FCC chairman Richard E. Wiley.
The Freedom of Speech Award recognizes an individual who has worked to advance free speech, a free press, and the First Amendment. The American Horizon Award recognizes an individual for visionary leadership in the communications industry.
Information about sponsorship opportunities and benefits can be found on The Media Institute’s website at https://www.mediainstitute.org/2024-free-speech-america-gala-sponsor-reservation/.
The Media Institute is a nonprofit organization specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment. Visit the Institute online at www.mediainstitute.org.
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