] Since 1992, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the
] Protection of Free Expression has celebrated the birth
] and ideals of its namesake by calling attention to those
] who in the past year forgot or disregarded Mr.
] Jefferson's admonition that freedom of speech "cannot be
] limited without being lost."
]
]
] Announced on or near April 13 -- the anniversary of the
] birth of Thomas Jefferson -- the Jefferson Muzzles are
] awarded as a means to draw national attention to
] abridgments of free speech and press and, at the same
] time, foster an appreciation for those tenets of the
] First Amendment. Because the importance and value of free
] expression extend far beyond the First Amendment's limit
] on government censorship, acts of private censorship are
] not spared consideration for the dubious honor of
] receiving a Muzzle.
]
]
] Unfortunately, each year the finalists for the Jefferson
] Muzzles have emerged from an alarmingly large group of
] candidates. For each recipient, a dozen could have been
] substituted. Further, an examination of previous
] Jefferson Muzzle recipients reveals that the disregard of
] First Amendment principles is not the byproduct of a
] particular political outlook but rather that threats to
] free expression come from all over the political
] spectrum.