The Creative Coalition Joins the Playboy Foundation in Presenting the 25th Anniversary Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards
May 19 2004 - 2:52PM
PR Newswire (US)
The Creative Coalition Joins the Playboy Foundation in Presenting
the 25th Anniversary Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards NEW
YORK, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Playboy Foundation will recognize
winners of the 25th Anniversary Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment
Awards at a Monday, May 24 dinner at New York's PIER SIXTY at
Chelsea Piers. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Creative
Coalition, the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan social and political
advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment industry. The
host committee for the evening includes James Caan, Chevy Chase,
Cuba Gooding, Jr., Marcia Gay Harden, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew
Modine and Steven Tyler. Established in 1979 by Playboy
Enterprises, Inc.'s now-Chairman and CEO Christie Hefner, the
awards program honors individuals who have made significant
contributions to protect and enhance First Amendment rights of
Americans. Since its inception, more than 100 individuals including
high school students, lawyers, journalists and educators have been
honored with a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award. The awards
have traditionally been given in the areas of print and broadcast
journalism, education, book publishing, arts and entertainment,
government and law. "I am delighted to add 10 more names to the
impressive roster of Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award winners,"
said Hefner. "A principal guarantee of freedom is the First
Amendment. Honoring the men and women who are on the front lines
protecting that freedom is more important than ever." Each 25th
Anniversary Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award category winner
will receive $5000, as well as a specially designed plaque
describing their achievement in defending the First Amendment. The
2004 winners are: -- Bill Maher (Arts & Entertainment), host of
HBO's Real Time for speaking out at a time when Americans were
being encouraged to abandon the Bill of Rights in exchange for the
false comfort of "national security"; -- Molly Ivins (Lifetime
Achievement), author and syndicated columnist for nearly 25 years
for keeping the First Amendment alive through her unflagging
dedication, energy and humor while informing the public of erosions
to freedom; -- David D. Cole, Esq. (Book Publishing),
constitutional law scholar and professor of Law at Georgetown
University Law Center for his book Enemy Aliens: Double Standards
and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism (New Press,
2003), a masterful and compelling book about the discriminatory and
abusive treatment of non-citizens in the wake of 9/11 and the
PATRIOT Act; -- Ronald K. L. Collins, Esq. and David Michael Skover
(Book Publishing), co-authors of The Trials of Lenny Bruce: The
Fall and Rise of an American Icon (Sourcebooks Mediafusion, 2002),
which laid the groundwork for the posthumous pardon of Lenny
Bruce's obscenity conviction in New York City; -- Trina Magi and
Linda Ramsdell (Education), for organizing a grassroots campaign to
eliminate Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, which undermines
Americans' right to read and access information without
governmental intrusion or interference; -- Steven Aftergood
(Government), senior research analyst and editor of Secrecy News, a
newsletter of the Federation of American Scientists which keeps
Americans apprised of the inner workings of government secrecy and
promotes reform of its secret processes; -- Nate Blakeslee (Law),
reporter for the Texas Observer for chronicling prosecutorial
misconduct in Tulia, Texas, forcing the issue of racial and
economic disparity in drug sentencing into the national spotlight,
and educating the public about much needed judicial reforms; and,
-- Talia Buford (Print Journalism), editor-in-chief of Hampton
University's Hampton Script for serving as an inspiration to
student journalists everywhere when she won the promise of an
uncensored student newspaper. Winners were selected by an
independent panel of judges, including Margaret Carlson, CNN's The
Capital Gang and columnist, Time magazine; Ann Richards, former
governor of Texas, and senior advisor, Public Strategies, Inc., and
John Seigenthaler, founder of Vanderbilt University's First
Amendment Center and 2000 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award
winner. Past winners have included Penn & Teller, comedians and
magicians who have threaded their work with serious messages to
educate nontraditional and often unsuspecting audiences about the
value of the First Amendment's protection; Michael Moore, for using
his cable television show, The Awful Truth (Bravo), to educate the
public about issues critical to preserving First Amendment rights;
Nicholas Becker, for challenging the constitutionality of a
student-led prayer during his high school graduation ceremony; Mary
Dana and Nancy Zennie, co-founders of "Muggles for Harry Potter"
who successfully rallied the public to oppose the ban on Harry
Potter books in the public schools of Zeeland, Michigan; Dr.
Frederic Whitehurst, former supervisory agent and forensic chemist
for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who blew the whistle
on fraud and scientific misconduct with the FBI crime lab; and
Kelli Peterson, who formed the Gay-Straight Alliance, defended its
right to convene on the campus of Salt Lake City's East High School
and inspired similar programs in 25 states. For ticket information
on this year's award ceremony, please contact The Creative
Coalition at 212-614-2818. About the Playboy Foundation The Playboy
Foundation supports local and national nonprofit organizations that
protect the rights of the individual in a free society. Since its
inception in 1965, the Foundation has awarded nearly $16 million in
grants and in-kind contributions to organizations concerned with
First Amendment freedoms, civil liberties and social justice. About
The Creative Coalition The Creative Coalition is the leading
nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of
the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent
members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is
dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance,
primarily public education, the First Amendment, arts advocacy, and
runaway production. Headquartered in New York City, The Creative
Coalition also has offices in Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San
Francisco. The Creative Coalition does not endorse or raise funds
for political parties or candidates. DATASOURCE: Playboy Foundation
CONTACT: Rosalind Drisko of Rogers & Cowan, +1-212-445-8447
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