WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Ken Paulson, executive director of the First Amendment Center, is available to discuss the findings of the new First Amendment survey via FREE satellite uplink from Washington, D.C. Book your time for Thursday, Aug. 29 between 6 and 10:30 a.m. EDT. Contacts for booking and uplink information are noted above. Following results EMBARGOED for release August 29:
For the first time in the annual State of the First Amendment survey, almost half (49 percent) of those surveyed said the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees -- a 10-percentage-point jump from 2001, which suggests new public concerns in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks.
"The stakes have risen for the First Amendment in the wake of September 11," said Ken Paulson, executive director of the First Amendment Center. "The results of our 2002 survey suggest that many Americans view these fundamental freedoms as possible obstacles in the war on terrorism." In 2001, 39 percent of those surveyed said the First Amendment went too far in the rights it guarantees.
The center's annual State of the First Amendment survey examines public attitudes toward freedom of speech, press, religion and the rights of assembly and petition.
The national survey was done this year in partnership with American Journalism Review magazine, which will publish the full survey results in its September issue, available beginning Aug. 29.
Additional findings:
-- About half of those surveyed said the American press has been too aggressive
in asking government officials for information about the war on terrorism.
-- More than four in ten said they would limit the academic freedom of
professors and bar criticism of government military policy.
-- About half of those surveyed said government should be able to monitor
religious groups in the interest of national security, even if that means
infringing upon religious freedom.
-- More than four in 10 said the government should have greater power to
monitor the activities of Muslims living in the United States than it does
other religious groups.
-- The least popular First Amendment right once again is freedom of the press.
Forty-two percent of respondents said the press in America has too much
freedom to do what it wants, roughly the same level as last year. The survey
also found that many Americans are unable to name the five freedoms guaranteed in
the First Amendment. The percentages of those responding who were able to
identify individual freedoms:
-- 58 percent -- freedom of speech
-- 18 percent -- freedom of religion
-- 14 percent -- freedom of the press
-- 10 percent -- freedom of assembly/association
-- 2 percent -- freedom of petition
Ken Paulson, a lawyer and former newspaper editor, is one of the nation's leading experts on First Amendment issues. Host of the weekly television program "Speaking Freely," seen on public television stations nationwide, he also is co-author of the syndicated newspaper column "Inside the First Amendment". His broadcast media appearances include network morning and news programs, cable television programs and public radio. He has done hundreds of print interviews, including The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA TODAY and many other major newspapers and magazines. For booking and information on satellite coordinates for the FREE satellite uplink interview, call Gene Policinski at 615-727-1303 or email gpolicinski@fac.org; or Tam Gordon at 615-727-1321 or e-mail tgordon@fac.org.