The Media Research Center (MRC) seeks to uphold the original vision of Free Speech Week, and nothing encapsulates those efforts more than the free speech advocates MRC has honored this year.
Free Speech Week was founded in 2005 by The Media Institute and the National Association of Broadcasters “to raise public awareness of the importance of free speech in our democracy – and to celebrate that freedom.” The freedom of speech is a fundamental American liberty, one that transcends political differences. According to the official website, the event, “is designed as a unifying celebration, elevating the vision of the Founding Fathers above the political fray and recognizing free speech as something we can all believe in and cherish.”
Holding true to that vision, the MRC honored 35 champions of the First Amendment, including five members of the U.S. Senate (announced Monday), 10 members of the U.S. House of Representatives (announced Tuesday), 10 additional public officials (announced Wednesday) and 10 outstanding advocates of free speech in non-governmental organizations (announced Thursday).
MRC Founder and President Brent Bozell commended all the award recipients in a statement: “Free speech is under attack in America. It is time we honor the best defenders of free speech. It is thanks to them that we are not under a full censorship regime."
The left, in a dystopian twist, has flipped the First Amendment on its head in the years that followed Free Speech Week’s establishment. Now the left actively pushes to suppress speech it disagrees with under the guise of protecting Americans from mis-, dis- and mal-information.
In fact, a new MRC Free Speech America study unearthed a shocking number of current and former U.S. presidential nominees that have pushed for online censorship. Since the 2020 election cycle, seven of the most recent 10 presidential nominees have called for censorship and/or government regulation of constitutionally-protected free speech.
The Biden-Harris administration has presided over one of the most expansive censorship enterprises ever seen in American history as government agencies have routinely colluded with Big Tech platforms to suppress speech. Democratic lawmakers have also recently put the squeeze on Big Tech platforms to censor political speech just before the November elections. In 2020, MRC polling research provided damning evidence showing how Big Tech platforms and Big Media stole the 2020 election by insulating Biden by censoring stories that would damage his political image amongst his voter base. MRC studies have shown that the media and Big Tech are attempting to do the same thing on behalf of Kamala Harris.
In another chilling example, leftist billionaire George Soros’s empire has poured an ungodly tens of millions of dollars into numerous groups pressuring Big Tech to censor speech that doesn’t comport with his radical views before the 2024 elections.
With such a massive onslaught against Americans’ free speech rights today, it is incumbent upon those standing for freedom to highlight the patriots who have met this threat head-on in their respective fields. Free Speech Week is a time to celebrate one of our most sacred freedoms. Congratulations to all MRC Free Speech Award recipients! The MRC and a grateful nation salute you.
The winners of the MRC’s 2024 Free Speech Awards in the Senate are as follows: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
The winners of the MRC’s 2024 Free Speech Awards in the House are as follows: Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Ben Cline (R-VA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Darrell Issa (R-CA), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA).
The winners of the MRC’s 2024 Free Speech Awards for additional public officials are as follows: Greg Abbott, Andrew Bailey, Brendan Carr, Ron DeSantis, Bryan Hughes, Paul Kanitra, Jeff Landry, Ashley Moody, Ken Paxton and Dave Yost.
The winners of the MRC’s 2024 Free Speech Awards for Top Thought Leaders are as follows: Rachel Bovard, Mike Davis, The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, Seth Dillon, Kara Frederick, Elon Musk, Terry Schilling, Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi and Jonathan Turley.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
