For his lifetime of service and advocacy of the First Amendment, Free Speech Center Director Ken Paulson received the Voice of Freedom Award Oct. 22 from the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
The award was presented in Nashville at a dinner that also honored three people as Champions of Open Government:
— Dorothy Bowles, professor emerita at the University of Tennessee.
— Marc Perrusquia, executive director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
— Phil Williams, investigative reporter for NewsChannel 5, Nashville.
“It was an honor to be recognized by the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, an organization that relentlessly fights for the public’s right to know. Shining a light on increasingly secretive government is essential work,” Paulson said in remarks after receiving TCOG’s Voice of Freedom Award.
Paulson is a former editor of USA TODAY and several other newspapers, former president of the First Amendment Center and Newseum, and dean emeritus of the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University.
He has testified before Congress on First Amendment issues, hosted a free-speech television series and made educational presentations across the country about the history and importance of the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.
“TCOG’s mission is preserve, protect and improve citizen access to public information and open government in Tennessee,” said Deborah Fisher, executive director of TCOG, who presented the awards with TCOG Board of Directors President Lucian Pera.
“These individuals have been leaders in our state in championing the values of open government and an independent press that is free to examine that government. Each of these individuals has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to these American values through their professional work,” Fisher said.
Tennessee Coalition for Open Government seeks to preserve, protect and improve citizen access to public information and open government in Tennessee through an alliance of citizens, journalists and civic groups. Our focus is research and education because we believe knowledgeable citizens are the best way to protect the free flow of information.
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