Page 62 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

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SPEECH
OF
FREEDOM
lishing, broadcasting, training, research, and on-line services. Operating pro-
grams are the Media Studies Center in New York City, the First Amendment
Center at Vanderbilt University, the Newseum in Arlington, Virginia, and the
Freedom Forum Pacific Coast Center in San Francisco. Charles Overby is chair-
man and CEO of the foundation, and Peter Pritchard is its president.
SOURCE: The Freedom Forum 1995 Annual Report.
Will Norton

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) is an act passed by Congress
in 1966 that created an "open policy" for obtaining federal government docu-
ments. The FOIA makes government documents available to average citizens.
The requester does not have to specify why he or she wishes to obtain the
information or how the information will be used. Requests must be made in
writing, and government agencies are expected to respond within 10 days, al-
though rarely does this occur. A government agency does have the right to deny
a request. However, if the request goes to court—and 18 have to date—the
agency must prove in a court of law why the information should not be released.
The access provided is limited, however, because there are nine exceptions that
a government agency can claim as reasons for denying permission. These are
national security, internal agency rules, information exempted by federal statute,
trade secrets, internal memoranda, personal privacy, investigatory records, fi-
nancial institutional records, and oil well information. FOIA applies to federal
government agency records only, and state and local government agencies are
free to enact their own disclosure policies.
SOURCES: "How to File an FOIA Request," Quill, October 1994; John W. Smith and
John S. Klemanski, The Urban Political Dictionary, 1994.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford

FREEDOM OF SPEECH describes the provisions of acceptable and permis-
sible speech as outlined in the First Amendment. The First Amendment says
that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances."
Despite the "absolute" tone of the provisions of freedom of speech, the U.S.
Supreme Court, over the years, has ruled that certain types of speech are not
protected by the Constitution. Among those types of speech are fighting words
and obscenity. In the Court's opinion, free speech, including the right to peace-
fully protest, is critical to the well-being of a healthy democratic state. Specif-
ically, there must be an environment that permits public debate and allows for
the expression of unpopular ideas. In essence, freedom of speech is the corner-
stone of political communication because it encourages the open exchange of