FIRE kicks off $3M+ campaign with free Chicago dogs for free speech

CHICAGO, Illinois, July 10, 2023 – The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression will kick off a new $3.2 million Chicago free speech campaign by giving away 1,791 free Chicago dogs at Clark Street Dog on Wednesday, July 19 at 11 am CT. 

The “Free Chicago Dogs for Free Speech” event celebrates the 1791 passage of the First Amendment and is part of FIRE’s larger expansion into Chicago to raise awareness and support for free speech.

The city-wide campaign will include $1.4 million in pro-free speech TV advertisements airing on NBC Sports Chicago, WBBM-TV, WMAQ-TV, WLS-TV, WFLD-TV, and streaming platforms, including during White Sox and Cubs games. FIRE will also have radio ads on seven stations, 49 billboards up across the city, 100 posters throughout Metra stations, a 42-unit digital domination takeover at Ogilvie Station, and an ad takeover inside Midway International Airport. Most billboards can be found on this map.

The video spots will run from July 10 to August 6. They include “Free Speech Around the World” and the powerful stories of Keshia Thomas and KJ Lynum, both of whom have fought to resist censorship. You’re free to use these ads in your reporting, with credit to FIRE.

“Chicago has long been a hotbed of free speech advocacy and activism, and serves as a model for the whole country on how we can disagree without being disagreeable,” said Daniel Burnett, FIRE’s senior director of communications. “Chicagoans know what it means to create and sustain a robust culture of free expression. We’re excited to celebrate that by giving away free Chicago dogs with a side of free speech — just hold the ketchup.”

For questions, interview requests, or to RSVP to the event, please contact Tony Franquiz at 443-243-6366 or franquiz@longwellpartners.com. 

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.