Ken Paulson Biography

Paulson played the role of editor and senior vice president/news of USATODAY.com and USA Today. On USA Today’s board of contributors, he writes as a columnist about First Amendment issues. President and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center is Ken Paulson. Paulson has used his background as a lawyer and journalist to serve as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states and as the executive director of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University for the past 32 years. In 1982, he was part of the team of journalists who founded USA Today before moving to control newsrooms in Green Bay, Wis., Bridgewater, N.J. in Westchester County, N.Y., and at Florida Today in Brevard County, Fla. Paulson is also the creator of an unrivalled national campaign on behalf of the First Amendment, which started on July 1, 2010 known as One for All with support from more than 1,100 religious, arts and news organizations. Paulson is the writer of Freedom Sings, a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that continues to tour the nation's campuses and he also hosted the Emmy winning television program called Speaking Freely which was viewed in more than 60 PBS markets nationwide over five seasons. He was an early promoter of making newspaper content available online and in 1993, he launched online newspapers in New York and Florida. Paulson has been a regular guest lecturer at the American Press Institute for the past 12 years, speaking to more than 5,000 journalists about First Amendment issues. He was awarded the API Lifetime Service Award. He was also named fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2007. It is the highest honor SPJ bestows upon a journalist for remarkable contributions to the profession. Paulson has been appointed to the leadership of the American Society of News Editors and in 2011, is expected to be president of ASNE. He is a member of the Florida and Illinois bars. At Vanderbilt University Law School, he also served as an adjunct professor. He’s a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the University of Illinois College of Law.

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