Tag Archives: First Amendment

Hedges: PEN America and the Betrayal of Julian Assange

“When the ruling class peddles lies there is no cost for parroting them back to the public. The cost is paid by those who tell the truth.”

Matt Taibbi: Responding to “On the Media” on Free Speech: FIRE’s “So to Speak” Podcast

Last month, On the Media, a popular radio program from New York City’s WNYC, aired an episode that questioned free speech values and challenged so-called “free speech absolutism.”
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Matt Taibbi, Nadine Strossen, and Amna Khalid, who provide direct responses to many of the free speech critiques made in On the Media’s program

EFF Fireside Chat: Section 230 and Free Speech

What to do to protect free speech on the internet.

Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, Journalism on trial, Scahill, Hedges, Pilger and more: the charges, the defense, what you can do

Several articles are posted here. Click on the each title or video to read/see the full article. +++ On Contact: Chris Hedges interviews Kristinn Hrafnsson, Editor-in-Chief of WikiLeaks Assange charges and extradition: A political question and an attack on the foundation of democracy Chris Hedges discusses the US extradition request for Julian Assange with WikiLeaks […]

It Is Time To Kill The Espionage Act, by Thor Benson

We’re still seeing the Espionage Act used to kill free speech on a regular basis today, just over a century since its passage into law.

Federal Lawsuit Alleges Trump’s Threats Against The Press Are Unconstitutional, By Steve Denning

[Trump] has: “engaged in conduct intended to retaliate against specific news organizations and journalists whose content and viewpoints displease him. Through his actions, Trump has intentionally conveyed to all writers and journalists that …they may be subject to retaliation by the federal government. That conduct violates the Constitution.” By Steve Denning  Senior Contributor  Leadership Strategy  Forbes  October […]

First Amendment Rights confirmed in verdict in trial for protesting the killing of Philando Castile

“We miss you Mr. Phil.”

Rosario: A St. Paul veteran’s arrest at airport protest ends in victory at trial

“You know, the way First Amendment rights have been eroding, this jury at least believes that the government has been too restrictive with speech.”

Deconsructed Podcast: How Bad is the News? with Hasan Minhaj

The news is almost like the comments section on Facebook, where there is no, “Hey, we went to the moon.” Everything is a moon-landing debate.

In a Major Free Speech Victory, a Federal Court Strikes Down a Law that Punishes Supporters of Israel Boycott by Glenn Greenwald

It’s hard to imagine a law that more directly violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech than one that seeks to deny people benefits for which everyone else is eligible due solely to the state’s disapproval of their political views and activism.

‘There’s an Effort Around the Country to Curtail People’s Fundamental 1st Amendment Rights’

But when people do go into the street and are arrested, what then? When they put their bodies on the line and the state creates a new law to criminalize that resistance, what then?

Elite Media Need to Recognize Assaults on Reporters as a Pattern–and a Threat

Establishment journalists failed their “first they came for the Communists…” moment at the very beginning of the Trump administration, when DC police arrested and charged at least nine alternative journalists for covering protests at Trump’s inauguration that included property damage. BY JANINE JACKSON  FAIR  May 25, 2017 It is heartening at least that Montana newspapers […]

Janine Jackson | Big Media Need to Fight for the Right to Protest

People who broke no windows and set no fires face up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

US News Editors Find It Increasingly Difficult To Defend The First Amendment

The most common attack on First Amendment freedom is a subpoena seeking access to “unpublished materials.” Nearly half of editors said they have confronted this situation recently. Less frequent are attacks in the form of libel lawsuits, censorship efforts, or pressure to reveal confidential sources.

45 Years After COINTELPRO, FBI Still Thinks ‘Dissent is the Enemy’

…the groups note, “documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the FBI continuously invokes counterterrorism authorities to monitor groups it admits are peaceful and nonviolent.”

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Comcast Thinks It Has the Right to Censor You

“We owe this Orwellian shift in thinking to a growing number of court decisions, among them Citizens United, that define corporations as people and their business practices as speech.”

ACLU: Free Speech for Some Means Free Speech for None

Our defense of speech regardless of speaker comes down to a simple truth: once you give the government the ability to silence unpopular speech, no one is safe. First Amendment  By Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office October 22, 2014 In honor of Free Speech Week, let’s take a moment to acknowledge the obvious. […]

Communities United Against Police Brutality

Arrested Legal Observer: Ferguson a ‘Pilot Program’ for When Communities Respond to Police Brutality

 Each legal observer arrested in Ferguson was “arrested for doing their job,” NLG interim executive director Dan Gregor said.  Gregor described other concerns he had with the kind of “police overreaching” that had occurred in Ferguson. By Kevin Gosztola  The Dissenter  FireDogLake,com  August 30, 2014 The National Lawyers Guild had legal observers on the ground in […]

▶ Edward Snowden’s Attorney Speaks at Peacestock: Ben Wizner

from Bill Sorem PRO Ben Wizner, Edward Snowden’s attorney discussed details of the Snowden case in his presentation at Peacestock, 2014. In this excerpt of his total presentation (full talk included below) he reminded the audience that Snowden published nothing, his material was turned over to legitimate journalistic organizations, initially the Guardian and Washington Post, who then decided what to […]

Nozomi Hayase: WikiLeaks’ “Mediastan”; The True Fifth Estate Bringing the First Amendment to the World

“Freedom of Speech is a truly liberational force in the world. It allows us to challenge, and if necessary, reject or dismantle official narratives and structures. It frees thoughts and feelings from the governance of state and corporate power.”    By Nozomi Hayase  Sunday, 03 November 2013  Truthout.org | Film Review     (Image: Journeyman Pictures) Mediastan is a documentary film […]