THE KNOWLEDGE PROJECT While censorship in the fields of art and politics has traditionally garnered the preponderance of public attention, the last few years has brought increased scrutiny of First Amendment concerns in the area of scientific research. A scientist's right to communicate and disseminate his or her research findings, however, is a form of speech that is no less [...]
News: San Antonio's city council has agreed to pay the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center $550,000 for cutting the group's funding four years ago. The money is part of a settlement reached in the center's "viewpoint discrimination" lawsuit, which was prompted by a previous council's actions. Negotiations began in May to end the lawsuit after U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia [...]
The National Coalition Against Censorship, the ACLU of Southern California, The First Amendment Project of Oakland, CA and a large number of local and national artists announced that they are protesting the removal of Alex Donis' exhibition, "WAR," from the Watts Towers Art Center. Alex Donis, WAR. Shadow and Sergeant Kooney (oil and enamel on plexi) The show, which [...]
They've held blood drives, staged unity vigils, and offered scholarships to the children of the victims. Clearly, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, colleges—along with the rest of the nation—have shown an unparalleled generosity. They've also exhibited stunning intolerance.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, October 2, 2001 Internet filters are hopelessly flawed, according to a comprehensive survey released today by the National Coalition Against Censorship's Free Expression Policy Project. Internet Filters: A Public Policy Report offers a complete, easy-to-use summary of existing tests, studies, and reports on the over—and under—blocking propensities of the major programs and products designed to [...]
Here in New York, there were a few sources of comfort in the weeks after September 11: victims, firefighters, police and other rescue workers heroically risked, and some lost, their lives for others. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (even though he's not so hot on the First Amendment) provided notable leadership to New Yorkers coping with unprecedented disaster.
A number of critics have taxed Not in Front of the Children with being insufficiently sensitive to the concerns of parents about sexual explicitness and graphic violence in popular culture. It's true that the book doesn't decry all the gross and offensive entertainment that is available—there is already a vast literature on that subject. My purpose instead was to stimulate [...]
In an elegant tribute to open government, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the government may not conduct secret deportation hearings without proving the need for secrecy—a decision which expands First Amendment rights of access to the press and the public. The case, Detroit Free Press v. Ashcroft, was brought by four Michigan newspapers and Congressman John Conyers, Jr. who are seeking to attend the deportation hearings brought against Ann Arbor resident Rabih Haddad.