Brian J. Buchanan

Brian J. Buchanan (web@fac.org) is managing editor/online for the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn. The website is the First Amendment Center Online at www.firstamendmentcenter.org.

Buchanan has also been publications director, director of journalism programs, and media-relations director for the Freedom Forum, which he joined in 1985 as staff writer.

He has worked in public information at the State University of New York College at Brockport and as an advertising copywriter for the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co. in Rochester, N.Y. For more than five years he was a copy editor and night news editor at the daily Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper.

Buchanan holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University and a master's in English from the State University of New York. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Juda.

Posts by Brian J. Buchanan:

Religion Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | February 10, 2012

Will contraception-rule change relieve religious conscience?

Accommodating religious belief should have been on the front end of White House interpretations of the health law, not an after-the-fact scramble in response to furious objections by Catholics.

1 for All, Featured Post | Brian J. Buchanan | December 16, 2011

Bill of Rights Day gets its overdue due

More than 17,000 Americans help put Bill of Rights Day back on the calendar on the 220th anniversary of our core freedoms. Judging begins Thanks!

1 for All, First Amendment News | Brian J. Buchanan | December 15, 2011

How to teach about the First Amendment

‘Social Media, the Classroom and the First Amendment’ classroom guide released; panelists discuss opportunities, difficulties with using online resources in teaching.

First Amendment Program | Brian J. Buchanan | December 9, 2011

First Amendment Center celebrates 20 years

‘I had no idea that we were on the cutting edge of an issue that was going to have so much meaning,’ Founder John Seigenthaler tells audience gathered to commemorate center’s anniversary.

First Amendment Program | Brian J. Buchanan | September 14, 2011

9/11 attacks changed much, but not everything

Vanderbilt professors trade views on lingering effects on First Amendment freedoms and American society. Also:

First Amendment Program, Religion News | Brian J. Buchanan | August 23, 2011

Shariah law sparks lively debate

Panel and audience at First Amendment Center exchange views — sometimes heatedly — about controversial question.

Freedom Of Information Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | July 29, 2011

Nixon testimony may see daylight, and it’s about time

Disgraced president testified in secret about Watergate scandal 36 years ago; any concerns about ‘privacy’ are dwarfed by the historical importance of the transcript.

First Amendment Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | July 19, 2011

Our political bent is freedom

Pew study on nonprofit news sites finds majority post original material with definite political viewpoint; our website tries to defy that.

First Amendment Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | June 29, 2011

Eugene, Ore., slammed for Pledge of Allegiance compromise

City Council takes fire from across the country after voting to recite the pledge at four meetings a year.

Press Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | June 15, 2011

Good news for farm animals and the First Amendment

Legislation to outlaw undercover videotaping of livestock abuse seems to be faltering in several states.

Press Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | June 3, 2011

Weiner boxing with press over briefs doesn’t serve us well

Congressman has suggested that journalists are out of line for asking about Twitter pic. They aren’t.

First Amendment News | Brian J. Buchanan | April 22, 2011

Welcome to our redesigned site

First Amendment Center Online gets a new look for a new era.

Speech Commentary | Brian J. Buchanan | January 10, 2011

Free speech not on trial in Giffords shooting

Hold on, there, sheriff.
Before the crime scene had even been fully analyzed, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was quick to blame free speech after the horrific attack Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz., that left a federal judge and several others dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords gravely wounded.
“Let me say one thing, because people tend to [...]

Press | Brian J. Buchanan | November 17, 2006

Founder shares cautionary tale of libel in cyberspace

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Although the First Amendment enables the American people
to make the country better by exercising their freedom of expression, “that
freedom of expression is not absolute,” the First Amendment Center founder said
today in the last of six “Conversations with John Seigenthaler.”
Speaking to about a hundred enrollees in the Vanderbilt Retirement Learning
program, Seigenthaler posed [...]

Speech | Brian J. Buchanan | November 10, 2006

To some, ‘obscene’ art not to be seen, heard

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — History shows censors going to great lengths to restrict art, painting, drama, film, dance and photography. How far does the First Amendment go in protecting them?
First Amendment Center Founder John Seigenthaler considered that question today at the center in the fifth in his series of lectures exploring the history of First Amendment [...]

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About The First Amendment Center

We support the First Amendment and build understanding of its core freedoms through education, information and entertainment.

The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.

Founded by John Seigenthaler, the First Amendment Center is an operating program of the Freedom Forum and is associated with the Newseum and the Diversity Institute. The center has offices in the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

The center’s programs, including the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum, provide education and information to the public and groups including First Amendment scholars and experts, educators, government policy makers, legal experts and students. The center is nonpartisan and does not lobby or litigate. See First Amendment Center Fact Sheet and FAQs. See internships info.

The center’s website, www.firstamendmentcenter.org, is one of the most authoritative sources of news, information and commentary in the nation on First Amendment issues. It features daily updates on news about First Amendment-related developments, as well as detailed reports about U.S. Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment, and commentary, analysis and special reports on free expression, press freedom and religious-liberty issues. Support the work of the First Amendment Center.

1 For All

1 for All is a national nonpartisan program designed to build understanding and support for First Amendment freedoms. 1 for All provides teaching materials to the nation’s schools, supports educational events on America’s campuses and reminds the public that the First Amendment serves everyone, regardless of faith, race, gender or political leanings. It is truly one amendment for all. Visit 1 for All at http://1forall.us/

Help tomorrow’s citizens find their voice: Teach the First Amendment

The most basic liberties guaranteed to Americans – embodied in the 45 words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – assure Americans a government that is responsible to its citizens and responsive to their wishes.

These 45 words are as alive and important today as they were more than 200 years ago. These liberties are neither liberal nor conservative, Democratic nor Republican – they are the basis for our representative democratic form of government.

We know from studies beginning in 1997 by the nonpartisan First Amendment Center, and from studies commissioned by the Knight Foundation and others, that few adult Americans or high school students can name the individual five freedoms that make up the First Amendment.

The lesson plans – drawn from materials prepared by the Newseum and the First Amendment Center – will draw young people into an exploration of how their freedoms began and how they operate in today’s world. Students will discuss just how far individual rights extend, examining rights in the school environment and public places. The lessons may be used in history and government, civics, language arts and journalism, art and debate classes. They may be used in sections or in their entirety. Many of these lesson plans indicate an overall goal, offer suggestions on how to teach the lesson and list additional resources and enrichment activities.

See more about lesson plans.

First Amendment Moot Court Competition

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – the cornerstone of American democracy – is the focus of the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition. Recognized as one of the nation's finest constitutional-law competitions, this annual event features a current First Amendment controversy.

During the two-day competition in February, each team will participate in a minimum of four rounds, arguing a hypothetical based on a current First Amendment controversy before panels of accomplished jurists, legal scholars and attorneys.

Past participants in the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition have represented law schools nationwide, from Brooklyn Law School to Duke University to Arizona State to Harvard.

The 22nd Annual National First Amendment Moot Court Competition is Feb. 16-17, 2012. See registration information and details about the competition.

FIRST AMENDMENT CENTER ARCHIVES

State of the First Amendment survey reports

The State of the First Amendment surveys, commissioned since 1997 by the First Amendment Center and Newseum, are a regular check on how Americans view their first freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion and petition.

The periodic surveys examine public attitudes toward freedom of speech, press, religion and the rights of assembly and petition; and sample public opinion on contemporary issues involving those freedoms. See the reports.