Last year, a survey received national attention when 40% of respondents couldn’t name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment, and one one person out of 1009 could name all five. As a way to combat what is clearly a lack of understanding surrounding one of the most important tenets in the U.S., Media of Nebraska started The Think First campaign as a way of spreading awareness about why the First Amendment is important and the regular everyday things protected by it.
The campaign combines TV ads, Radio Spots, and TV Ads featuring people who are protected by the First Amendment for each of the five freedoms: Speech, Press, Religion, Assembly, and Petition. This campaign is an excellent opportunity to open up a dialogue with students of all ages about rights and intellectual freedom. Check out their website ThinkFirst.org to download the ads, and read more about each freedom.
Think First runs through the end of 2019, and has taken off, with Nebraska being joined by Press and Media groups all over the country, including: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Lousiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Don’t forget to check out CBLDF’s free resource Be Heard! which offers students guidance in exploring their right to petition.
