The Media Research Center is proud to recognize President Donald Trump and several members of his administration during the 21st annual Free Speech Week for their unwavering commitment to defending the First Amendment and confronting one of the greatest threats to our constitutional Republic: the Biden administration’s whole-of-society approach to censorship. This year’s MRC Free Speech Award was awarded exclusively to Charlie Kirk, the late founder of Turning Point USA. In addition to celebrating Kirk’s legacy, the MRC is also using Free Speech Week to recognize other leaders, including public and foreign advocates, legal officers and members of Congress. Trump is among those celebrated by MRC, who has assembled one of the most unapologetically pro-free speech administrations in modern American history, and this is not hyperbole. On his first day in office, Trump and his administration took bold and decisive action with an executive order to begin dismantling the Biden administration’s 57 censorship initiatives exposed by MRC Free Speech America. Also during the first week, Trump issued another executive order revoking Biden-era directives, forcing the left-wing ideology in AI. He expanded this order just months later, ensuring that the government would not partner with Big Tech companies that discriminate against individuals based on viewpoint. The administration further used the weight of the U.S. government to pressure world leaders to stand up for freedom of speech. Trump’s appointments of free speech warriors — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem — signaled a clear shift toward protecting, rather than policing, speech.  This approach to free speech protection has ultimately defined the Trump administration. This stood in stark contrast to Biden’s weaponization of government to target his opponents. Under Biden’s tumultuous years, Americans endured an unprecedented assault on the First Amendment. This government was characterized by a reckless pattern of government overreach, speech suppression and blatant contempt for the First Amendment. As previously exposed by MRC, Biden's administration oversaw the establishment of one of the largest censorship operations in U.S. history, involving 57 initiatives across an astounding total of 93 federal agencies. The MRC is proud to recognize the following executive branch officials for their actions in defense of Americans’ free speech rights: President Donald J. TrumpPresident Trump is a man of action, and he has acted forcefully and fearlessly to protect Americans’ free speech rights. Before even taking office for his second term, President Trump had assembled a cabinet of First Amendment warriors; within a week of taking his oath, he issued two executive orders outlining steps to preserve the First Amendment. President Trump then set about dismantling Biden’s censorship agencies, firing hundreds of government censors and cutting off thousands of censorship grants. To this day, he remains a great warrior for the First Amendment and continues to prioritize Americans’ right to speak freely.  Vice President JD VanceThe vanguard of President Trump’s anti-censorship crusade, Vice President Vance has been relentless in his efforts to preserve Americans’ First Amendment rights. Perhaps the most significant moment of his already-historic vice presidency was his generation-defining speech in Munich confronting leftist European leaders and demanding that their big tech censorship not be exported to our shores.   Secretary of State Marco RubioSecretary Rubio was given one of the most difficult tasks in government: Stopping the sprawling censorship enterprise that infected the State Department and USAID. Secretary Rubio has removed this cancer with surgical precision. He shut down the FIMI Hub, dismantled the multinational framework for censorship, fired hundreds of corrupt government censors, and removed hundreds of grants that were silencing speech around the world.        Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.Secretary Kennedy took command of a Department that had been perverted to silence American critics and stifle scientific inquiry, Secretary Kennedy faced near insurmountable opposition from the censorship cartels operating in our government and media. With no hesitation, Secretary Kennedy rescinded the countless NIH grants and contracts that were paying for the silencing of American researchers, and has instead created a new Department that is dedicated not to playing politics, but instead to making America healthy again.  Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi NoemSecretary Noem has shown temerity and grit as she dismantles the censorship operations in the Department of Homeland Security that were jeopardizing Americans’ liberty and security. Secretary Noem eliminated the censorship agency CP3, eliminated the Quiet Skies censorship program, rescinded the TVTP censorship grants, and transformed CISA from a Stasi-style censorship bureau to an agency that protects Americans’ critical infrastructure from foreign cyberattacks. FCC Chair Brendan CarrFCC Chair Carr has tirelessly worked to refocus the agency on protecting, rather than impeding, Americans’ ability to communicate. He has fought to ensure that public spectrum is used responsibly, rather than by being monopolized by a few big media censorship advocates. He has also worked to ensure that merger approval is contingent on ending unlawful DEI programs.   FTC Chair Andrew FergusonFTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has tackled the advertising cartels being run by deceitful censorship outfits like Ad Fontes and Media Matters. He has also continued to battle Meta and Google for monopolizing American markets so they could control American speech. OMB Director Russ VoughtDirector Vought has been instrumental in defunding and dismantling the lawless government censorship agencies that were paying millions of taxpayer dollars to censor people both at home and abroad.  Director of the National Institutes of Health of the United States Jay BhattacharyaDirector Bhattacharya has shown tremendous courage in dismantling the censorship operations at NIAID and the NLM, instead creating a leaner, more inquisitive NIH that works to make America healthy.  White House AI and Crypto Czar David SacksDavid Sacks has been a fierce opponent of the push for AI exclusivity contracts, and has worked to ensure the Biden pandemic of debanking never occurs again. FCC Media Bureau Chief Erin BooneChief Boone worked tirelessly to reform the FCC to be an agency that protects Americans’ free speech, including by spearheading FCC Chairman Carr’s efforts to ensure public spectrum is not hijacked to become propaganda for big media. FCC General Counsel Adam CandeubThe nation’s premier authority on Section 230, Candeub has helped Chairman Carr reform the FCC to protect Americans’ liberties from government and Big Tech censorship. FCC Policy Advisor Katie McAuliffeMcCauliffe has worked tirelessly to protect free speech rights for all Americans, including through careful review of how public spectrum and public airwaves are used.   FTC Consumer Protection Bureau Director Chris MufarrigeMufarige has worked tirelessly to carry out Chairman Ferguson’s mission of stamping out unlawful censorship.  FTC Competition Bureau Director Daniel GuarneraGuarnera has worked tirelessly to carry out Chairman Ferguson’s mission of stamping out unlawful censorship. MRC presented 35 pro-free speech advocates with the prestigious MRC Free Speech Award last year, honoring the original vision for Free Speech Week with 2024 awards. 2024 award winners included: five U.S. senators, 10 congressmen, 10 officials ranging from attorneys general to governors and from state legislators to the FCC, as well as 10 thought leaders.

In a viral video, Democrat Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) says that, while Democrats’ government shutdown will cause American families to suffer, it’s worth it because it gives her party leverage to pass its political agenda. “Utterly shameful! The Democrats OPENLY ADMIT they are causing the shutdown—and using hardworking American families as their LEVERAGE,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wrote Wednesday, responding to a social media post of Clark’s statement. Clark made the admission on Thursday in an interview with Fox News Channel, in which she said Democrats take “responsibility” for the suffering: "Shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage items we have. It is an inflection point in this budget process where we have tried to get the Republicans to meet with us and prioritize the American people." Getting the extra $1.5 trillion of spending for things like health care for illegal aliens that they’re demanding is more important than ending the suffering caused by the shutdown, Clark said. Utterly shameful! The Democrats OPENLY ADMIT they are causing the shutdown—and using hardworking American families as their LEVERAGE. https://t.co/boosLESCYP — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 22, 2025

Now that the heavily hyped Maine "oyster farmer," Graham Platner, who is running as a Democrat  to defeat incumbent Senator Susan Collins has been exposed as deeply flawed, Politico's senior political columnist Jonathan Martin has lashed out at who he considers responsible for foisting Platner upon us with minimal/no vetting. And according to Martin that culprit is primarily the Democrat party as you can see in his Wednesday column, "Democrats Keep Falling for Political Fantasies. When Will They Learn?." However, what is notable is that although he mentions "journalists" in passing, he conveniently overlooks Politico's own role in promoting the flawed oyster farmer. Will Democrats ever learn to stop swooning? I refer, as you may have guessed, to the case of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and the rinse-wash-repeat pattern that has become all too familiar for the party in the digital age. It goes something like this: Political outsider or mostly new name mounts statewide campaign with online video that leans heavily on compelling biography or powerful oratory, out-of-state liberal hobbyists quickly fall in love and fork over money, and journalists rush to profile the latest heartthrob before inevitable disappointment when the candidate loses or, well, becomes John Fetterman. Platner is the latest example. A military veteran turned oysterman who looked the hirsute part, the Mainer’s populist candidacy seemed to be an immaculate conception. The contributions piled up, the profiles were published and then suddenly there was a disruption to the formula. Or maybe it was more of an acceleration. Once his Democratic rival, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, entered the race, Platner was hit with a nor’easter of oppo research that had the added value of being his own damning words. Rationalizing political violence, calling himself a “communist,” referring to all police as “bastards” and calling himself an “antifa supersoldier,” Platner’s paper trail was the stuff of Senator Susan Collins’s dreams. And that was before Platner tried to get ahead of the next hit by revealing the apparent Nazi tattoo on his naked torso. Actually, the tattoo's on his chest. But among those at the forefront of hyping Graham Platner was Jonathan Martin's own Politico. Yes, a periodical supposedly at the forefront of political journalism somehow failed to due any due diligence such as even a mild investigation into Platner's background. So point your finger all you want, Jonathan, but perhaps you should have pointed it at yourself and your Politico colleagues such as reporter Holly Otterbein, who produced this paean to the oyster farmer on August 19: "Maine oyster farmer wants to upend Democratic politics with Senate bid." A little-known oyster farmer is looking to upend top Democrats’ plans in Maine. Democrat Graham Platner, the 40-year-old owner of Waukeag Neck Oyster Co. and an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, announced Tuesday he is mounting a challenge to Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner has never run for office, and his campaign threatens to disrupt national Democrats’ efforts to recruit and unite around Gov. Janet Mills. Gee! If Platner was "little-known" shouldn't Politico try to KNOW more about him BEFORE writing him up? In fact, since this story was written in August, Politico apparently did NOTHING to learn more about Platner and ended up being surprised by the entirely expected oppo research by the Janet Mills campaign. We return now to Jonathan Martin in the middle of another whine: It’s not as though the outsider candidates are emerging from thin air — who do you think is crafting those viral videos? If you think it’s oystermen in their spare time or Amy McGrath’s former flight crew and not another set of consultants, I’ve got a lobster roll for under $10 to sell you (and if you think a former Blackwater employee who tended bar at the Tune Inn and attended George Washington University is a total outsider, I’ve got a $5 one to sell you). Oh, NOW you tell us, Jonathan. Too bad Politico didn't inform us that Platner was hardly an outsider back in August when it would have counted for something.

The Media Research Center announced Wednesday that it is awarding its annual Free Speech Award exclusively to Charlie Kirk, the late founder of Turning Point USA and a fearless defender of the First Amendment. This approach differs from that taken in 2024, when 35 people were recognized for their strong efforts to defend free speech rights.  Kirk died a martyr on Sept. 10, 2025, while doing what he loved most: standing up for truth and unapologetically speaking his convictions without fear. MRC leadership decided to make this singular award to Kirk because no other free speech advocate sacrificed so much for the First Amendment.   Kirk remained steadfast in his defense of free speech rights for all, including those who disagreed with him. He embodied the very principles of free speech that defined his life’s mission. In a statement, MRC President David Bozell paid tribute to Kirk, stating, “There are no awards or recognitions that could fully capture the impact Charlie Kirk had on this generation of leaders, but it is our duty to continue honoring his work and keeping his legacy alive.” In response to MRC’s celebration of Kirk’s legacy, Andrew Kolvet, Kirk’s friend and Turning Point USA spokesman, said: “Charlie was completely devoted to open dialogue, debate, and free speech. He believed in the battle of ideas, not bullets. His life and legacy will be an eternal testament to his unwavering faith in the logos of God, the Word, and our ability to emulate our Creator with this uniquely American ideal enshrined as our very First Amendment. We must press forward and insist on one nation under God that follows Charlie’s example and picks up a microphone to make our case, not a gun.” While Kirk’s life was cut short, he accomplished more than most could in a lifetime, leaving an enduring mark on the next generation of leaders. Kirk brought his Christian faith, American values and conservative ideas to college campuses, one of the most neglected political battlegrounds. It was in these spaces where Kirk engaged directly with those he disagreed with while unapologetically standing by his beliefs. Under his leadership, Turning Point USA became one of the fastest-growing freedom advocacy groups in America. Kirk himself became one of the most influential voices in our freedom-loving movement, chronicling its rise in several best-selling books. As host of The Charlie Kirk Show, he challenged the legacy media’s monopoly on information by covering overlooked topics and encouraging millions of Americans to think critically on the most pressing issues of our time. Kirk was also a founding member of the MRC Free Speech America Advisory Board, helping guide the organization’s mission to defend the First Amendment and push back against rampant Big Tech censorship. Several other free speech champions will be recognized by MRC this week for their efforts to defend First Amendment rights in 2025. These individuals include executive branch officials, members of Congress, legal officers and advocacy leaders. See the recipients of the 2024 MRC’s Free Speech Awards here: MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners from Senate: Cruz, Lee, Marshall, Paul, Schmitt MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners from Congress: Johnson and Jordan Among Recipients MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners from AGs to Governors, State Legislators & FCC MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners: 10 Thought Leaders

PBS debuted a new Independent Lens documentary entitled Ratified on Tuesday that was ostensibly about the fight to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified in Virginia. In reality, it was just an opportunity for a number of activists and Democratic politicians to trash everyone from the Founding Fathers to conservatives and pro-lifers. One early clip showed Dr. Kelly Burton trying to diminish the Constitution, “When it comes to the relationship that women have with our Constitution, it's interesting because the Constitution was really only created to reflect the priorities of about 5 percent to 7 percent of the American population: men of European descent who owned property. They were the only people who the Constitution is even in any way mindful of.” Most people understand that “men” can also be used as a way of saying “human,” but Rep. Jennifer McClellan is not most people. She turned to the Declaration of Independence, “And then, we had a revolution, and Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights.’ It didn't include women. It didn't include black people. Definitely didn't include me.”     Ratified was a 90-minute production, and those themes would be repeated throughout, but later the documentary crew sought to ask why the ERA failed. For an answer they turned to an old clip of MSNBC’s Ali Velshi suggesting sexism replaced racism as Evangelicals’ main political motivation, “The anger of Evangelicals was activated by segregation, but segregation would prove to be a less-than-palatable way to motivate Evangelical voters on a broad scale, not enough to win elections with. That's where the issue of abortion came in. Senate races in Minnesota and Iowa in 1978 showed that an anti-abortion, pro-life movement could unite the religious right and give them real political power. Republican politicians campaigned accordingly.”  Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal then lamented, “In 1980, the right-wing of the Republican Party took over, and they took the ERA out of the platform.” After a 1980 Ronald Reagan campaign ad, Smeal further mourned, “This is not little game that we're playing. Our opposition is quite powerful. And they don't always play fair.” Ratified’s cast and crew had a funny definition of not playing fair. A June 1982 clip of ABC’s World News Tonight anchor Frank Reynolds explained, “It is June 30th, and at midnight tonight, the Equal Rights Amendment becomes a lost cause.” Some more soundbites later, McClellan decried that, “When the ERA was passed, Congress put a deadline in it. There's nothing in the Constitution that says Congress has that authority, but they did it.” That would be the ERA supporters’ fault, not “our opposition.” Nevertheless, Director of the Equal Rights Amendment Project Ting Ting Cheng argued, “The most recent addition to the Constitution, the 27th Amendment, was proposed by the first Congress, so it took over 200 years to be added to the Constitution between when Congress first passed it and when the states finally ratified it.” Smeal echoed the point by declaring, “What it showed is there’s no time limit.” Unlike the ERA, the 27th Amendment never had a deadline, but matters of Constitutional bookkeeping aside, Ratified’s cast has two major problems: there are many people in this country who look at the trans movement and worry that an amendment like the ERA would bring about the death of women-only spaces. There are also many people who just do not believe the dystopian narrative that says that disbelieving in abortion or the gender pay gap myth renders America a sexist place. As for PBS, Ratified did help prove that there is little, if any, difference between it and MSNBC. Here is a transcript for the October 21 show: PBS Independent Lens: Ratified 10/22/2025 12:03 AM ET KELLY BURTON: When it comes to the relationship that women have with our Constitution, it's interesting because the Constitution was really only created to reflect the priorities of about 5 percent to 7 percent of the American population: men of European descent who owned property. They were the only people who the Constitution is even in any way mindful of.  JENNIFER MCCLELLAN: And then, we had a revolution, [B-Roll footage of American Revolution re-enactment] and Thomas Jefferson wrote, "All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights."  It didn't include women. It didn't include black people. Definitely didn't include me.  … ALI VELSHI: The anger of Evangelicals was activated by segregation, but segregation would prove to be a less-than-palatable way to motivate Evangelical voters on a broad scale, not enough to win elections with. That's where the issue of abortion came in. Senate races in Minnesota and Iowa in 1978 showed that an anti-abortion, pro-life movement could unite the religious right and give them real political power. Republican politicians campaigned accordingly.  ELEANOR SMEAL: In 1980, the right-wing of the Republican Party took over, and they took the ERA out of the platform.  1980 REAGAN CAMPAIGN AD NARRATOR: Only one man has the proven experience we need. Ronald Reagan for President. Let's make America great again.  RONALD REAGAN: Good evening. I'm here tonight to announce my intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States.  SMEAL: This is not little game that we're playing. Our opposition is quite powerful. And they don't always play fair.  REAGAN: Well, I believe in equal rights for everyone. I don't believe in discrimination of any kind, certainly not against women, but I don't believe in the amendment.  GLORIA STEINEM [MARCH 1982]: There are three more states. We have 35, so it is very agonizing because the vast majority of Americans support it, way over 60 percent. The states in which most Americans live have ratified it, but none of us will have it unless we get those three more states and given the schedule of legislatures in their meetings, it seems unlikely.  DAVID LETTERMAN: Now, is— STEINEM: Possible, possible.  FRANK REYNOLDS: It is June 30th, and at midnight tonight, the Equal Rights Amendment becomes a lost cause.  TING TING CHENG: When the ERA time limit expired, people gave up and they said, “We tried and we failed.” SMEAL: All these women who went door to door who went and talked to their legislators, who begged them to vote for equal rights for women learned one major thing: They're just as smart, they're just as good. It made them interested in politics.  RUTH BADER GINSBERG [JULY 1993] I remain an advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment, I will tell you, for this reason. Because I have a daughter and a granddaughter, and I know what the history was, and I would like the legislature of this country and of all the states to stand up and say, "We want to make a clarion call that women and men are equal before the law, just as every modern human rights document in the world does."  CAROLYN MALONEY: I have introduced it every single year that I've been in Congress, and I have not been able to pass it, nor have I been able to even secure a hearing on it. MCCLELLAN: When the ERA was passed, Congress put a deadline in it. There's nothing in the Constitution that says Congress has that authority, but they did it.  CHENG: The most recent addition to the Constitution, the 27th Amendment, was proposed by the first Congress, so it took over 200 years to be added to the Constitution between when Congress first passed it and when the states finally ratified it. SMEAL: What it showed is there’s no time limit.