Fresno State students recognized by Free Speech Center for their project on the First Amendment

Our First Amendment project has been recognized by the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University for a campaign to educate Fresno State students on the five freedoms contained in the First Amendment.

The Free Speech Center at MTSU praised the 60 public relations students in the Media, Communications and Journalism Department at Fresno State for creating strategies to engage students with the values of the First Amendment. The next step for the students in Dr. Nancy Van Leuven’s classes will be presenting a major program in the fall that will tie into Constitution Day on Sept. 17.

“Activities to measure current student knowledge of the First Amendment included primary and secondary research such as student surveys and studies about media coverage and propaganda. Students also created media strategies including videos, news releases, and multiple content for social media,” the Free Speech Center said in a posting on its website.

“Fresno State students are now focused on increasing campus-wide understanding of the amendment that guarantees Americans’ expressive freedoms. This project was led by James Boren, executive director of the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust, and Dr. Bradley Hart and Dr. Nancy Van Leuven, faculty in the Media, Communication and Journalism Department.”