New First Amendment Academy empowers citizens with knowledge about 5 core freedoms
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According to a 2024 survey, there is widespread misunderstanding among many Americans around the nuances of the First Amendment.
The survey, “The First Amendment: Where America Stands,” revealed that fewer than half of Americans can name all the freedoms guaranteed by the amendment, a number that has steadily declined since 2020.
To help close that gap, NEWSWELL at Arizona State University has joined forces with the Freedom Forum to launch the First Amendment Academy, a series of online courses designed to empower citizens.
By exploring the five core freedoms — religion, speech, press, assembly and petition — the program aims to give Americans the tools to not only recognize their rights but also put them into action in their daily lives.
“The First Amendment is foundational to American democracy and individual freedoms,” said Nicole Carroll, executive director for NEWSWELL at ASU — a nonprofit affiliated with the university that promotes local journalism — and a professor of practice in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “We’re proud this partnership can create these classes and quizzes to help people better understand these critical rights.”
Blending Freedom Forum’s trusted expertise, NEWSWELL’s wide-reaching media network and ASU’s leadership in online learning, the First Amendment Academy delivers an accessible and dynamic learning experience.
The academy features 15 interactive, self-guided courses alongside 25 flash quizzes designed to sharpen civic knowledge.
Each course takes just 10–20 minutes and is packed with real-world examples that bring constitutional principles to life. Best of all, the courses are free — anyone can enroll through ASU’s online platform. The quizzes are also available directly on the academy’s website with no registration required, and they can be embedded directly on other media’s news pages.
“This initiative is a step forward in our mission to educate, engage and inspire people about their First Amendment freedoms,” said Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of the Freedom Forum. “By making these resources widely accessible and interactive, we’re helping people not only understand their rights but also feel empowered to exercise and defend them.”
The “Where America Stands” survey also revealed that the proportion of Americans who could identify freedom of the press as a right guaranteed by the First Amendment dropped from 72% in 2020 to 57% in 2024.
“First Amendment freedoms are unique to American democracy, special and fragile,” said Mi-Ai Parrish, managing director of ASU Media Enterprise and a professor of practice in the Cronkite School. “All citizens being knowledgeable about the protections is part of a healthy democracy.”
In addition, the survey uncovered divides across demographics. When asked which liberty matters most, men overwhelmingly pointed to free speech, while women were more likely to view all five freedoms as equally vital. And minority groups, younger Americans and those with lower incomes reported feeling less connection to — or less benefiting from — the protections of the First Amendment.
Perhaps most alarming, the survey showed a clear generational gap: The younger the respondent, the weaker their bond with the freedoms that define American democracy. That was hard to hear, Carroll said.
“I was surprised and a little saddened, but then I was inspired to think about what NEWSWELL could do to help solve this problem,” she said. “That’s where these classes come in handy.”
NEWSWELL is boosting awareness of the academy by giving news outlets free embedded links and code, making it simple to weave into stories about the First Amendment. The goal is straightforward: When readers are curious to dive deeper, they’ll have an easy path straight to the academy’s courses.
All content is hosted on ASU’s learning platform and is easily accessible through freedomforum.org/first-amendment-academy.
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