• Editor & Publisher, Thursday, March 2, 2006 10:45 AM

For those who are convinced that America is sliding rapidly into irrelevance, here's more supporting evidence. "About 1 in 4 Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.) But more than half of Americans can name at least two members of the fictional [Simpsons] cartoon family," according to a survey conducted by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum. The survey found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just 1 in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms. What's more, the survey revealed that more people could name the three "American Idol" judges than First Amendment rights and were more likely to remember popular advertising slogans, Editor & Publisher reports. "It's disappointing that Americans continue to be ignorant of First Amendment freedoms, but even more disappointing is that that these freedoms are more and more in the news," says Gene Policinksi, executive director of the First Amendment Center, which is based in Nashville.

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