Annenberg Classroom’s documentary “The First Amendment: New York Times v. Sullivan” has won a Silver Award in the 4th Annual Anthem Awards.
“The First Amendment: New York Times v. Sullivan” traces the relationship of the press to the Civil Rights movement, outlines how segregation proponents tried to stop coverage of the violence inflicted on peaceful protestors, and how the 1964 Supreme Court case created protections for journalists. Eminent scholars and experts address the question of whether the Civil Rights Movement would have been successful if there were no press to publicize the rabid hostility to change, as well as trace the importance of the First Amendment’s Freedom of the Press, and the standard of “actual malice” created by the Court’s unanimous decision in the case.
The film, produced by The Documentary Group, was awarded a silver prize among entrants to the Education, Art & Culture area as a Film, Video, Television or Show in the Awareness Categories. “New York Times v. Sullivan” is the latest addition to the collection of free, high-quality, nonpartisan civics education resources offered by Annenberg Classroom and the Civics Renewal Network, both projects of the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics (LAIC) at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.
See the film here on Annenberg Classroom.
This year’s Anthem Award Winners were selected from a pool of more than 2,300 entries submitted from over 34 countries worldwide by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Anthem judges are intellectually diverse leaders from across the impact industry with expertise that spans across the Anthem cause areas. Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate.
Andrea (Ang) Reidell, LAIC’s director of outreach and curriculum, Lance Holbert, LAIC’s director, and Tom Yellen, executive producer for The Documentary Group, accepted the award, the second in a row for an Annenberg Classroom film. In a brief videotaped acceptance message, Reidell stated: “Exploring our constitutional stories is the first step in unlocking the power of our democracy.”
The film was the centerpiece of multiple programs during Civic Learning Week 2024, including a live streamed national educator workshop in partnership with Civics Renewal Network members the National Constitution Center and the Supreme Court Historical Society and an enthusiastically received public screening at the New York Historical Society. The film and lesson plans reached hundreds of teachers and students and has been viewed more than 4300 times. In conjunction with the film’s release, three educators were selected to write lesson plans to accompany the film.
The film and accompanying lesson plans developed by three winning educators are available here.
