The Free Speech Center

First Amendment News and Insights from MTSU

About the Free Speech Center

The Free Speech Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy center dedicated to building understanding of the five freedoms of the First Amendment through education, information and engagement. It does not participate in litigation or lobbying.

Its educational efforts include:

Our mission

A good high school or university strives to educate students for the future, preparing for life as professionals, but also as citizens. It’s the latter that proves to be the true challenge. Too many students move into adulthood with only a limited sense of how our country works and a lack of appreciation for the rich experience that living in a democracy provides. That’s troubling because the next generation is in the best position to help us break the vicious pattern of partisanship and rancor that now plagues our nation.

The Free Speech Center is a nonpartisan public policy center at Middle Tennessee State University that works to build understanding of the First Amendment and Bill of Rights through education, information, and engagement.
 
We emphasize:
  • The need for citizens to stay truly informed by selecting reliable and trustworthy news sources.
  • The importance of engaging in society, encouraging constructive change through the exercise of core freedoms.
  • Recognizing that free speech is a universal value in our society, and that it is most beneficial when coupled with a willingness to listen in a civil and respectful exchange of ideas.
To that end, the Free Speech Center:
  • Provides daily news and insights into free expression and offers a comprehensive repository of First Amendment history and law in its First Amendment Encyclopedia, serving almost 4 million site visitors per year.
  • Publishes books, teacher’s guides, white papers, television shows and video content that illuminate our fundamental freedoms of expression for students, educators, and the public.
  • Serves as an authoritative resource on First Amendment freedoms for news organizations around the world.
  • Manages extensive media outreach on multiple platforms, all with an eye toward conveying core Constitutional principles in an informal, accessible, and intriguing way.

Contact us

Drop us a message at FreeSpeechCenter@mtsu.edu.

Recent news releases

 

In the media

 

NEWS ON THE 1 FOR ALL CAMPAIGN

Associated Press: New advertising campaign promotes the First Amendment 

Nashville Tennessean: Brad Paisley, Kane Brown, other Nashville stars launch national push for First Amendment

Music Row: Brad Paisley, Loretta Lynn, Kane Brown Partner to Raise Awareness of First Amendment Rights

News release: Nashville artists, authors, athletes speak up for First Amendment with MTSU Free Speech Center’s 1 for All awareness effort 

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Ken Paulson’s media appearances include The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, CBS News, Good Morning America, ESPN and hundreds of additional news outlets. See more media appearances by Ken Paulson.

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