Philadelphia, PA (January 24, 2011) – As President Obama delivers his State of the Union Address tomorrow, the National Constitution Center will provide up-to-the-moment coverage and commentary on its new blog, Constitution Daily, which officially launches today at  http://blog.constitutioncenter.org.  The blog views current events through the lens of the Constitution and uses the Center’s unique resources to illuminate the Constitution’s modern relevance, encouraging readers to join in the conversation.

Coverage of the State of the Union Address will include live blogging by National Constitution Center Chief Interpretive Officer Dr. Steve Frank, analysis of the accuracy of the President’s address by FactCheck.org, reader polls, and more.

“No online site will have better experts, stronger analysis, or more timely insights on the increasingly critical role the Constitution plays in public discourse than our blog, Constitution Daily,” said David Eisner, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center.  “And the best part is that our 21st century format will create a public forum where anyone can engage in a meaningful conversation about constitutional issues.”

Constitution Daily features posts written by the staff of the National Constitution Center, as well as accomplished authors, scholars, and partners.  During the blog’s alpha phase, special guest bloggers included: author and contributor to CNN and The Daily Beast John Avlon; Supreme Court correspondent for the New York Times Adam Liptak; Dr. Rogers M. Smith, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania; and Geoffrey R. Stone, the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law at The University of Chicago and a Visiting Scholar at the National Constitution Center. 

Some of the most viewed posts have included an analysis of the historical accuracy of the popular TV show “Boardwalk Empire” by Prohibition expert and author Daniel Okrent; Pennsylvania First Lady Marjorie O. Rendell’s opinion on the role of education in the civic health of our nation; video commentary on the Wikileaks issue by TIME magazine’s Managing Editor Richard Stengel; and a post connecting the Phillies’ acquisition of pitcher Cliff Lee to the Constitution (through the lens of Major League Baseball’s anti-trust exemption).

In addition, “Publius 2.0,” one of the most popular recurring features on the blog, responded to timely issues such as TSA security procedures, health care, Wikileaks, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and the death penalty.  The series was created by the Center’s Chief Interpretive Officer Dr. Steve Frank, who derived the name Publius 2.0 from the pen-name used by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay when they wrote The Federalist Papers.

Media services consultants Technically Media and the award-winning design firm Happy Cog worked with the Center to develop the editorial strategy and blog platform, respectively.  The blog first launched in an alpha version in August 2010. 

About Technically Media

Technically Media Inc. is a media services consultancy for the next news ecosystem. Our clients include traditional media, as well as business and nonprofit content creators. In addition, we publish niche-orientated online news sites, including Technically Philly (technicallyphilly.com).  Our mission is to empower, expand and bolster new and existing content creators, and instill an understanding of authentic audience growth with journalistic ethics of transparency.  Based in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Technically Media was founded in February 2009 by Sean Blanda, Brian James Kirk and Christopher Wink.  Call 215.821.8745 or visit www.technicallymedia.com for more information. 

About the National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents.  The Center serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues.  The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising.”  The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education.  For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.