Media Coalition Launches Foundation to Advance Defense of First Amendment

Media Coalition, a trade association dedicated to preserving freedom of speech, has launched the Media Coalition Foundation. The new foundation offers individuals and other entities the opportunity to make tax-deductible contributions to help further Media Coalition’s work protecting the public’s right to access the broadest possible range of information, opinion, and entertainment.

“The goal is that foundation resources will help advance Media Coalition’s exceptional record of successes in challenging laws that violate the First Amendment and in supporting other free speech cases,” said Tom Foulkes of the Entertainment Software Association, the chairman of the new foundation and immediate past chair of Media Coalition.

The foundation aims to build upon Media Coalition’s legal work in defending the right to produce and distribute media, as well as the public’s right to access the broadest range of such speech. Since its founding in 1973, Media Coalition, whose members include the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and other media organizations, has brought more than 35 lawsuits to protect the rights of booksellers, librarians, and publishers; film, recording, and video game producers; and home video and video game retailers — and thus, the rights of the public.

“Media Coalition has come to the rescue of Tattered Cover on multiple occasions over the last 40 years,” said store owner Joyce Meskis. “Together, we have fought bad laws that have encroached on the First Amendment rights of readers and battled all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court to fight against a search warrant that threatened the privacy of customer records. We are grateful for the continued vigilance of Media Coalition in protecting our First Amendment rights and for the new foundation’s potential for doing so in the future.”

That potential is significant, said Media Coalition Executive Director David Horowitz, noting that “in spite of Media Coalition’s best efforts, there are more censorship laws passed in Congress and state legislatures than we have the ability to challenge.”

The new foundation will challenge laws, file amicus briefs, and support other organizations’ ability to protect free speech; its public education efforts will include publishing reports and providing resource material to educate elected officials, journalists, and the general public about First Amendment issues.

From its first report about media boycott crusades of the 1980s to its recent debunking of myths about the impact of violence in new media, Media Coalition has been at the forefront of fighting new trends in censorship. The foundation plans to augment these educational efforts to keep the American public engaged in free speech causes.

“It is important to remind ourselves that none of Media Coalition’s victories, whether in the legislatures or the courts, are permanent,” said Horowitz. “The foundation allows our allies to share the fight against those who seek to restrict the marketplace of ideas.”

Media Coalition Foundation is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by law. For more information, visit mediacoalitionfoundation.org.