Paulson testifies at congressional committee about First Amendment

Dean Ken Paulson of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment joined other free speech experts for testimony Wednesday, Sept. 26, before a congressional committee examining how First Amendment rights are expressed on college campuses.

The Committee on Education and the Workforce asked Paulson, who also serves as president of the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center, and others to share thoughts on the role of college campuses as places where ideas from all quarters can be shared and debated, even if those ideas could be considered offensive or disturbing.

Paulson told the committee he draws his insights from his five years as a dean at MTSU, as well as years of visiting college campuses across the nation as a speaker on First Amendment topics.

Paulson said while he has seen “widely distributed news stories about students shouting down speakers, or college administrators engaging in heavy-handed tactics,” he doesn’t feel such tactics are prevalent at most campuses.

“I honestly don’t believe there’s an epidemic of suppression or intolerance in the nation’s universities,” he said.

Rather, Paulson said, most students are concerned about “paying for school, staying in school and making good enough grades to get a job when they leave.” He added, “That’s a dynamic you’ll find at universities all over America.”

However, Paulson said there are indisputably “some high-profile instances where college administrators and students are willing to bend free speech principles to prevent hurt feelings or ideological conflict.”

“You can’t shout down a speaker if you truly understand how diversity of opinions have bolstered our democracy. You can’t censor students or their media if you understand what Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and the first generation of Americans meant by freedom of the press.

“You can’t try to zone protests off your campus if you appreciate the value of petition and assembly.”

But, Paulson said, too many students do not truly understand those principles. He cited First Amendment Center surveys that showed a third of Americans cannot name a single freedom contained in the First Amendment and only about 2 percent can name all five freedoms — speech, religion, assembly, petition and press.

“A shared commitment to freedom of press, faith and speech should actually unify this nation,” he said.

Click here to see the video of the two-hour plus hearing, with Paulson’s opening remarks beginning around the 48:37 mark:

Thank you to MTSU News.