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First Five by the Freedom Forum Institute
The First Amendment protects five core freedoms that are under attack every day — from the left, the right, and everywhere in between. First Five strives to foster interest in First Amendment news and provide a platform for discussion among enthusiasts and activists. Column is available weekly for NNA member newspapers to reprint.
For these 5 Americans, the First Amendment is an everyday essential
The Freedom Forum surveyed more than 3,000 people for “The First Amendment: Where America Stands.” We also interviewed dozens of survey participants to get more insight into their thoughts ...
Four key First Amendment cases to watch this Supreme Court term
The Supreme Court’s October term has begun, and it promises to be an eventful one for First Amendment watchers, writes Freedom Forum fellow David Hudson, highlighting four key cases to watch.
Four First Amendment ‘where America stands’ findings that surprised experts (and 3 that didn’t)
We asked a wide range of First Amendment advocates and experts what struck them most about our findings in the recently released “Where America Stands” survey of First Amendment knowledge and ...
Survey says we like our First Amendment rights – whatever they are
How deeply Americans value their First Amendment freedoms — and how divided Americans are on how those freedoms should work in the face of today’s challenges – is our 21st century challenge, ...
PERSPECTIVE: First Amendment Day is a reminder we get to have a say
Constitution Day, Sept. 17, and First Amendment Day, Sept. 25, are both opportunities to celebrate the beauty and acknowledge the challenges of democracy. Above all, they remind us that we get to have ...
PERSPECTIVE: Restricting speech in the name of safety, from panic to pandemic
Enacted just weeks after Sept. 11, the USA PATRIOT Act restricted civil liberties more than most agreed was necessary to protect national security. The act expired in 2020, just as a new threat, COVID-19, ...
PERSPECTIVE: Protect assembly and petition by preserving listening at public meetings
Many public meetings are becoming so contentious – even violent – that they push the boundaries of the First Amendment’s right “peaceably to assemble,” says Gene Policinski, ...
PERSPECTIVE: Some First Amendment back-to-school advice
How can public school students express themselves in school this year? And what can parents or administrators do if they don’t like that expression? Here’s what students, administrators and ...
PERSPECTIVE: Can the First Amendment protect educators from being fired for teaching about race?
A trend across the country has legislatures and education departments in more than 25 states working to ban some discussions of race in schools. Special correspondent Tony Mauro looks into why teachers ...
PERSPECTIVE: Public schools need constitutional and religious literacy
As students head back to school, teachers and coaches have a First Amendment responsibility to model religious literacy, writes David Callaway, showing what happens when religious literacy is missing from ...
PERSPECTIVE: Protect voting like we protect free speech
Voting is a fundamental expression of views, but courts are more likely to OK restrictions on voting than on other forms of expression, says Lata Nott, who argues that voting should be protected as vigorously ...
PERSPECTIVE: 5 US Olympic athletes who flexed their first amendment muscles
Athletes throughout history have used their fame to shine spotlights on injustice or stand up for their beliefs. Ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, remember these U.S. Olympic athletes, featured in the ...
Perspective: Supreme Court sides with First Amendment Freedoms, but questions linger
Significant First Amendment cases involving religion, student speech, assembly and press rights were at the top of U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the just-finished 2020-21 term. In several key cases, ...
PERSPECTIVE: Assaults on local reporters are a slap in the face of our right to know
Local news is under attack — literally — as physical assaults on local journalists spike. Karen Hansen shares how this is part of a troubling trend that threatens all our freedoms.
PERSPECTIVE: Students, parents and free speech win in cheerleading case
The case involved the suspension of Brandi Levy when she was a freshman at Mahanoy Area High School in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. Upset in part at not making the varsity cheerleading squad, Levy posted ...
PERSPECTIVE: Supreme Court case goes beyond LGBTQ+ versus Catholic rights
A new, unanimous Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the case of a Catholic foster care agency losing its contract with Philadelphia after saying it would not certify LGBTQ+ couples ...
Free spirits answer Al Neuharth’s call to ‘Dream, Dare, Do’
It’s the motto of the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, an annual program that each June brings top high school journalists from across the United States together for a week ...
Perspective: Is the Supreme Court Still a Defender of Press Freedom?
A new study of the Supreme Court’s depictions of the press, plus recent comments by current justices and federal judges, Tony Mauro writes, shows the judiciary may be increasingly skeptical of press ...
Perspective: Amid AIDS crisis, LGBTQ press won key First Amendment battle
LGBTQ press has always had to fight for the right to publish. To kick off Pride Month this week, guest columnist Mark Segal shares how he took that fight all the way to the Supreme Court to save not only ...
PERSPECTIVE: News outlets need caution in offering a ‘fresh start’
Gene Policinski looks at the policies of a growing number of news outlets offering to essentially “unpublish” identifying information, news reports or photos from digital news archives – ...
