Student Media

freedom of expression

Take our Censorship Quiz thru Jan. 31!

BANNED: A Freedom of Expression Trivia Quiz

Freedom of Expression 2020

Take our self-paced Kahoot CENSORSHIP QUIZ now through Jan. 31.

To enter, use the game PIN 01855573.

Test your knowledge of famous songs, books and movies that have been challenged or banned in recent years.

  • What is a challenge? It's an attempt to remove or restrict materials or services based on content.
  • What is a ban? It's the removal of materials or cancellation of services based on content.

Take a short SURVEY to be entered into a random drawing for a UNCW-themed prize package!

Censorship by the Numbers

  • Censorship attempts in 2019 were UP 14% over the previous year.
  • Where do challenges take place?
    • 66% Public libraries
    • 19% School libraries
    • 12% Schools
    • 2%   Academia
    • 1%   Special and prison libraries
  • What materials were challenged in 2019?
    • 56% Books
    • 22% Programs, meeting rooms
    • 9%   Displays, artwork
    • 8%   Films
    • 5%   Other, including social media, games, newspapers, magazines

(Source: American Library Assoc., 2019. More at ala.org/bbooks)

Constitution Day Observance 2019

Tuesday, Sep 17, 2019

11:30am to 2:30pm

Fisher Student Center Lobby

Stop by for free pizza. Test your knowledge of the First Amendment's five protections. Gather information on the current state of the First Amendment and free expression on campus. And take away a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution, yours for free.

Freedom of Expression Week 2018

Nov. 12-14

A Campus Dialogue about Respect, Civility, and Dissent

Students, faculty, staff and the wider community are invited to explore the rights and responsibilities of our First Amendment freedoms.

“Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.”  ― John Milton, Areopagitica

Free Expression Week events

First Amendment Free Food Festival

Leadership Lecture:

Greg Lukianoff

Ken Paulson

Saving American in a Single Bound: The Super Power of Democracy and Diversity
Nov 12
Nov 13
Nov 14
Fisher Student Center Lobby, Noon--2pm
Burney Center, 7pm
Lumina Theater, 6pm

First Amendment Free Food Festival

Due to inclement weather, the First Amendment Free Food Festival is canceled. Instead, stop by the Fisher Student Center for free pizza; a pop quiz on the First Amendment; a free, pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution; and information on the two lectures listed here.

Leadership Lecture

Greg Lukianoff

President of FIRE

Greg Lukianoff is an attorney and the president of FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe, in addition to dozens of other publications. He is a regular columnist for the Huffington Post and has frequently appeared on television, including the “CBS Evening News,” “Fox & Friends,” and “Stossel.” He received the 2008 Playboy Foundation Freedom of Expression Award and the 2010 Ford Hall Forum’s Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award on behalf of FIRE. He is a graduate of American University and Stanford Law School.

Ken Paulson

Saving American in a Single Bound: The Super Power of Democracy and Diversity

Ken Paulson is the dean of the College of Media and Entertainment at , and president of the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center. He formerly was president of the Newseum. He is the former editor-in-chief of USA Today and remains a columnist there. Paulson edited newspapers in Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. In addition to the bachelor's degree he earned from the University of Missouri, he has a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Freedom of Expression Historical Timeline

Warwick Center Lobby

A timeline of important events and court cases in the history of free expression in the United States.