Muzzle Awards

The Jefferson Muzzle Awards are an award given in the United States by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression to people who are perceived to undermine freedom of speech.[1] The award categories are: Censorship of Students, Censorship by Students, Efforts to Limit Press Access on Campus, Threats to Academic Freedom and Silencing of Outside Speakers. [2]

For the first time in 25 years, the Jefferson Center expanded anti-free speech awards to 50 recipients, the 2016 award is also unique in the aspect that all of the recipients are colleges. “Never in our 25 years of awarding the Jefferson Muzzles have we observed such an alarming concentration of anti-speech activity as we saw last year on college campuses across the country.”[3][4]

Conversely, the Jefferson Center commended the University of Chicago, American University, Purdue and Princeton University for issuing “broadest possible latitude” statements concerning speech policy on their campuses.[5]

The 2018 Jefferson Muzzle Awards[6]

• Herriman High School
• Kearny High School (Missouri)
• U.S. Capitol Police
• Windfern High School Principal Martha Strother
• Starkville, Mississippi Board of Aldermen
• Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying
• Parkway High School Principal Waylon Bates

The 2017 Jefferson Muzzle Awards[7]

• The administration of Boca Raton Community High School
• The State Government of Illinois
• The California State Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown
• Florida's Collier County School District
• The United States Senate
• Bradley County (Tennessee) Sheriff Eric Watson
• The United States Olympic Committee
• The Pierce College Administration and the Los Angeles Community College

The 2016 Jefferson Muzzle Awards[4]