Editing Norman Lear (section)

==Political and cultural activities==
[[File:Los Angeles, CA, USA (51817534586).jpg|thumb|[[Jane Fonda]] and Norman Lear at a [[climate change]] awareness rally in 2020]]
Lear was an outspoken supporter of [[First Amendment]] and liberal causes. The only time that he did not support the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate for president was in [[1980 United States presidential election|1980]] when he supported [[John B. Anderson|John Anderson]] over [[Jimmy Carter]] because he considered the [[Carter administration]] to be "a complete disaster".<ref name=klo>{{cite web |url=http://theoscarsite.com/whoswho5/lear_n.htm |title=de beste bron van informatie over theoscarsite. Deze website is te koop! |publisher=theoscarsite.com |access-date=April 22, 2013 |archive-date=July 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708235523/http://theoscarsite.com/whoswho5/lear_n.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lear was one of the wealthy Jewish Angelenos known as the [[Malibu Mafia]].<ref name=Brownstein1990>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GCl3AAAAMAAJ |title=The Power and the Glitter: The Hollywood–Washington Connection |pages=203–211 |last=Brownstein |first=Ronald |date=1990 |publisher=[[Pantheon Books]] |isbn=9780394569383 |access-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206195708/https://books.google.com/books?id=GCl3AAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1970s and 1980s, the group discussed progressive and liberal political issues, and worked together to fund them. They helped to fund the legal defense of [[Daniel Ellsberg]] who had released the ''[[Pentagon Papers]]'',<ref name=Brownstein1987>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-28-tm-361-story.html |title=The Man Who Would Be Kingmaker |last=Brownstein |first=Ronald |date=June 28, 1987 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104195610/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-28-tm-361-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and they backed the struggling progressive magazine ''[[The Nation]]'' to keep it afloat.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-28-vw-7520-story.html |last=Lacher |first=Irene |date=December 28, 1990 |title=Ultimate Outsider : Leftist and Fractious, the Nation Is Still Going Strong After 125 Years |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523232444/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-28-vw-7520-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1975, they formed the Energy Action Committee to oppose [[Big Oil]]'s powerful lobby in Washington.<ref name=Brownstein1987/>

===People for the American Way===
In 1981, Lear founded [[People for the American Way]] (PFAW), a progressive advocacy organization formed in reaction to the politics of the [[Christian right]].<ref name=Brownstein1987/> PFAW ran several advertising campaigns opposing the interjection of religion in politics.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Day|first1=Patrick Kevin|title=Norman Lear Celebrates 30 Years of People For the American Way|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/norman-lear-celebrates-30-years-245672|access-date=May 6, 2015|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 7, 2011|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125021431/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/norman-lear-celebrates-30-years-245672|url-status=live}}</ref> PFAW and other like-minded groups succeeded in their efforts to block Reagan's 1987 [[Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination|nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2011/biz/news/lear-sees-politics-the-american-way-1118046607/ |title=Lear sees politics the American way |last=Johnson |first=Ted |date=November 27, 2011 |magazine=Variety |access-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918084317/https://variety.com/2011/biz/news/lear-sees-politics-the-american-way-1118046607/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lear, a longtime critic of the Religious Right, was an advocate for the advancement of [[secularism]].<ref name=learrel09>[https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/02/10/interview-anti-christian-right-crusader-norman-lear-on-becoming-a-born-again-american Interview: Anti-Christian-Right Crusader Norman Lear on Becoming a 'Born-Again American'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710194107/http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/02/10/interview-anti-christian-right-crusader-norman-lear-on-becoming-a-born-again-american |date=July 10, 2016 }} US News, Dan Gilgoff, February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2013</ref><ref name=learrel87 />

Prominent right-wing Christians including [[Pat Robertson]], [[Jerry Falwell]], and [[Jimmy Swaggart]] have accused Lear of being an [[atheist]] and holding an anti-Christian bias.<ref name=learrel09 /><ref name=learrel87>[http://normanlear.com/spirit_8.html A Profile of Norman Lear: Another Pilgrim's Progress] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025130646/http://www.normanlear.com/spirit_8.html |date=October 25, 2014 }} Norman Lear.com, Martin E Marty. Retrieved February 26, 2013</ref> In the January 21, 1987, issue of ''[[The Christian Century]]'', Lear associate [[Martin E. Marty]] (a [[Lutheran]] professor of church history at the [[University of Chicago Divinity School]] between 1963 and 1998) rejected those allegations, stating the television producer honored religious moral values and complimenting Lear's understanding of Christianity.<ref name=learrel87 /> Marty noted that while Lear and his family had never practiced [[Orthodox Judaism]],<ref name=learrel87 /> the television producer was a follower of Judaism.<ref name=learrel87 />

In a 2009 interview with ''[[US News]]'' journalist Dan Gilgoff, Lear rejected claims by right-wing Christian nationalists that he was an atheist and prejudiced against Christianity. Lear held religious beliefs and integrated some evangelical Christian language into his Born Again American campaign. He believed that religion should be kept separate from politics and policymaking.<ref name=learrel09 /> In a 2014 interview with ''[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]'' journalist Rob Eshman, Lear described himself as a "total Jew" but said he was never a practicing one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/cover_story/article/norman_lear_on_race_in_america_judaism_world_war_ii_and_his_bright_future|title=Norman Lear on race in America, Judaism, World War II and his bright future|work=The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|first=Rob|last=Eshman|date=December 17, 2014|access-date=September 10, 2015|archive-date=September 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906205739/http://www.jewishjournal.com/cover_story/article/norman_lear_on_race_in_america_judaism_world_war_ii_and_his_bright_future|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1989, Lear founded the Business Enterprise Trust, an educational program that used annual awards, business school case studies, and videos to spotlight exemplary social innovations in American business until it ended in 1998. He announced in 1992 that he was reducing his political activism.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/a-false-picture-presented-of-hollywoods-role-in-politics/article_292e56c7-9e48-5e96-af4b-01af8224a97b.html |last=Lear |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Lear |date=July 12, 1992 |title=A False Picture Presented of Hollywood's Role in Politics |newspaper=The Buffalo News |access-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105140939/https://buffalonews.com/news/a-false-picture-presented-of-hollywoods-role-in-politics/article_292e56c7-9e48-5e96-af4b-01af8224a97b.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2000, he provided an endowment for a multidisciplinary research and public policy center, the [[Norman Lear Center]], that explored the convergence of entertainment, commerce, and society at the [[USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-23-fi-1577-story.html|title=A Major Academic Look at How Show Business Affects Real Life|last=Flanigan|first=James|date=February 23, 2000|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231206173336/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-23-fi-1577-story.html|archive-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref>

Lear served on the National Advisory Board of the [[Young Storytellers Foundation]]. He wrote articles for ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. He was a trustee of [[The Paley Center for Media]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paleycenter.org/about-leadership-board-of-trustees/ |title=Board of Trustees |publisher=Paleycenter.org |access-date=April 22, 2013 |archive-date=April 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421113003/http://www.paleycenter.org/about-leadership-board-of-trustees |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Declaration of Independence===
In 2001, Lear and his wife, Lyn, purchased a [[Dunlap broadside]]—one of the first published copies of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]]—for $8.1&nbsp;million. [[John Dunlap]] printed about 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Twenty-five copies survive today and only four of those are in private hands.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lear-buys-declaration-of-independence/|title=Lear Buys Declaration Of Independence|date=June 30, 2000|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=December 6, 2023|archive-date=January 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113215214/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lear-buys-declaration-of-independence/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Lear said in a press release and on the ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' show that his intent was to tour the document around the United States so that the country could experience its "birth certificate" firsthand.<ref>''Today Show'' interview with Katie Couric, February 8, 2002</ref> Through the end of 2004, the document traveled throughout the United States on the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] Road Trip, which Lear organized, visiting several presidential libraries, dozens of museums, as well as the [[2002 Olympics]], [[Super Bowl XXXVI]], and the [[Live 8]] concert in Philadelphia. Lear and [[Rob Reiner]] produced a filmed, dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence—the last project filmed by famed [[cinematographer]] [[Conrad Hall]]—on July 4, 2001, at [[Independence Hall]] in [[Philadelphia]]. The film is introduced by [[Morgan Freeman]] and [[Kathy Bates]], [[Benicio del Toro]], [[Michael Douglas]], [[Mel Gibson]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Graham Greene (actor)|Graham Greene]], [[Ming-Na Wen]], [[Edward Norton]], [[Winona Ryder]], [[Kevin Spacey]], and [[Renée Zellweger]] appear as readers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.normanlear.com/citizenship/declaration-of-independence-road-trip/press/|title=press &#124; television, film, political and social activist, philanthropist|access-date=August 13, 2015|archive-date=September 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920115208/http://www.normanlear.com/citizenship/declaration-of-independence-road-trip/press/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was directed by [[Arvin Brown]] and scored by [[John Williams]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://normanlear.com/citizenship/declaration-of-independence-road-trip/press/|title=Road Trip Fact Sheet|access-date=September 28, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920115208/http://normanlear.com/citizenship/declaration-of-independence-road-trip/press|archive-date=September 20, 2015}}</ref>

In 2004, Lear established [[Declare Yourself]] which is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign created to empower and encourage eligible 18- to 29-year-olds in America to register and vote. It has registered almost 4 million young people.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yahoo! Helps Declare Yourself Drive More Than 1 Million Young Americans to Download Voter Registration Forms for 2004 Election|url=http://investor.yahoo.net/common/mobile/iphone/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=146735&CompanyID=YHOO&mobileid=|work=Yahoo! recent news|publisher=Yahoo! Inc.|access-date=May 19, 2012|format=Press release|date=October 27, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100359/http://investor.yahoo.net/common/mobile/iphone/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=146735&CompanyID=YHOO&mobileid=|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=December 2023}}

Lear was one of 98 "prominent members of Los Angeles' Jewish community" who signed an open letter supporting the [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action|proposed nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers]] led by the United States. The letter called for the passage of the bill and warned that the ending of the agreement by Congress would be a "tragic mistake".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/98-prominent-hollywood-jews-back-814855|title=98 Prominent Hollywood Jews Back Iran Nuclear Deal in Open Letter (Exclusive)|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Seth|last=Abramovitch|date=August 12, 2015|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=August 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815033015/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/98-prominent-hollywood-jews-back-814855|url-status=live}}</ref>