UF transforms Citizens Access Project into First Amendment watchdog

March 4, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is expanding the reach and scope of its highly successful Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project, reinventing it as the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project.

The access project, which former UF Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication Bill Chamberlin started in 1999, rated and compared access laws around the country.

The First Amendment Project, which current Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication Clay Calvert directs, ventures beyond access laws, exploring and stimulating national discussions about an eclectic array of related topics.

“We now focus on current and contemporary issues in all areas of freedom of expression, including speech, press, petition and thought,” Calvert said. “Those issues stretch, for instance, from freedom of expression in public schools to libel on the Internet to the censorship of violent video games.”

The expansion will also allow the college to attract more aspiring First Amendment scholars, Dean John Wright said.

“Graduate students who are interested in the many complexities of the First Amendment can now join a team dedicated to studying and researching this ever evolving field,” Wright said.

The project is collaborating with the college’s Brechner Center, which aims to advance “understanding, appreciation and support for freedom of information in the state of Florida, the nation and the world.”

“We jointly filed a friend of the court brief this month with the U.S. Supreme Court in case called Citizens for Police Accountability Political Committee v. Browning regarding signature collection in petition drives,” Calvert said. “It’s the kind of active involvement with cases and legislation you can expect from the First Amendment Project in the future.”

The late Joseph Brechner, an Orlando television executive, played a pivotal role in founding the center. His wife, Marion, has helped develop the First Amendment Project, noted Calvert, who joined the college faculty in the fall after 13 years at The Pennsylvania State University.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support of Mrs. Brechner,” Calvert said. “Without her, none of this would be possible.”

The college is a national leader in the professional education of future journalists and other communication practitioners. It offers graduate programs in media law, science/health communication, political communication, and international communication; and undergraduate programs in advertising, print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and telecommunication.