Free Speech Week is an annual, nationwide program held every October. The goal is to raise awareness and celebrate the importance of free speech and a free press in the United States.
A recent study indicated that 36 percent of Americans could not name a First Amendment protection such as freedom of speech.
A wide variety of organizations and schools that believe in the value of freedom of speech register as FSW Partners, and hold activities such as panel discussions, mock debates and library exhibits to celebrate the week. For 2013, these partners include the Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression at Yale Law School, Society of Professional Journalists, National Communication Association, Rutgers School of Communication and Information and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press among many others.
NAA has posted several downloadable ads that newspapers can run in support of this endeavor (www.naa.org/fsw).
