Society of Professional Journalists challenges students to give up free speech for pizza

Alexandra Mosquera Netzkarsch/Contributing Writer

Food will come at a price—your right to speak– on Oct. 23 at the Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Rights Event in Academic II’s courtyard.

The organizers will provide free food in exchange for students’ freedom of speech with the risk of having their pizza swiped away by a student cop if they speak.

Brittny Valdes, senior journalism major and president of SPJ, said the event is to educate students about free speech.

“With this event we want to give a twist to the First Amendment,” Valdes said. “In exchange for free food, the students give up their right and freedom to express themselves. Students can expect to enter a place governed by a totalitarian dictatorship.

This idea was created by Michael Koretzky, director of  SPJ’s region three. Koretzky presented the idea of the First Amendment Free Food Festival to the University’s SPJ in fall 2012 and how this type of event can encourage students to think more about the importance of free speech. The student group has been planning since.

SPJ’s Florida Atlantic University chapter has made the free speech event an annual happening. The University chapter hopes for the same tradition.

“This event is very important because being an immigrant, coming from a different culture, and having lived in a different country, reminds students that freedom of speech is different from the United States,” Valdes said. “Events like these remind the people that were born here and grew up here sometimes seem to forget the importance of the First Amendment.”

When asked about the importance of free speech, Allan Richards, associate professor and associate dean in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said, “You wouldn’t be able to ask me this question if it wasn’t for freedom of speech.”

“The United States is a country of immigrants, they think about the economic benefits but not about their freedom of speech when they come here,” Richards said. “They don’t consider the power it has, but we all have to treat it as a privilege, not a right.”

 -news@fiusm.com

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