The National Association of Broadcasters has launched a campaign to celebrate the 231st anniversary (Sept. 25) of the passage of the constitutional amendments that became the Bill of Rights, particularly the First Amendment that guaranteed free speech and a free press.

The campaign focuses on the key role broadcasters play in upholding those freedoms, coming at a time when broadcasters are taking an economic hit.

That campaign includes clip-and-use social media posts like "Thank you to those working to hold local officials and citizens accountable, to find the answers and to seek justice. This has never been more important. #Celebrate1A #FirstAmendment" and "Thank you to our trusted journalists who bring us the truth without fear or favor. #Celebrate1A #FirstAmendment."

That wording is often used by NAB President Gordon Smith in extolling the virtues of a free and independent broadcast press, which he did in unveiling the campaign.

“America’s founders, in their infinite wisdom, understood that our country could not long survive without a free press that could report the facts and deliver their opinions without fear or favor,” said Smith. “NAB celebrates this enduring principle that has kept our communities informed and engaged since our nation’s early days, and we honor the ongoing work of the press in preserving our democracy.”

The effort also includes a PSA as well as talking points for on-air editorials, including this one: "Especially during the pivotal events of the past six months, our most-trusted sources of news – our local radio and TV stations and broadcast network partners – have shown how essential a free press is to keeping people informed. Journalists have done remarkable work to keep their audiences informed during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as stations have had to drastically revamp their operations to create safe workplaces."

The President's draft legislation on enforcing the 2012 privacy bill of rights continued to get mixed reviews on Capitol Hill.

The administration released the draft Feb. 27; it focuses on promoting voluntary codes of conduct that would give companies a safe harbor.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) praised the bill as a good start. “This is a positive first step and I want to applaud the Administration for their efforts in protecting consumers," he said. "Privacy is an issue that is near and dear to me, and I consider myself a strong privacy advocate and champion of consumer protection. However, like with most first drafts, after reviewing this summary I do have questions. If the Administration is serious about trying to legislate privacy protections, I will try to work with them in a bipartisan fashion.”

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), another strong privacy advocate, saw the glass as more empty than full, at least when it came to enforcing real privacy protections on companies.

“I think all Americans have a fundamental right to privacy — and it's especially important in light of advancing technologies that continually threaten to outpace our laws,” said Franken, who is the ranking member on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law. “I commend the President’s renewed interest in data privacy, because it’s important that we establish new measures to protect consumers. But I have concerns that his proposal lacks the necessary teeth to hold companies accountable for their privacy policies and to ensure robust protections for consumers’ information. The American people deserve more meaningful control of their personal information, and they should be able to make informed decisions about who is getting their information and who it’s being shared with. The President’s proposal, unfortunately, doesn’t do that. It takes control away from consumers and puts it back in the hands of companies.”

The Obama administration has been trying to enforce privacy principles on facial recognition and mobile apps through voluntary stakeholder initiatives, to mixed reviews.