NPR Moves to Eliminate Comments From Website
NPR has announced it will remove the comments section from its website. But what are the implications for freedom of speech?
ABA’s Anti-Harassment Policy Continues a Disturbing Trend
The American Bar Association's vaguely worded harassment policy has wide-reaching implications on speech limitations of lawyers
Comic Strip Pulled Over ISIS Reference
A nationally syndicated comic strip was censored because of a harmless reference to ISIS. But why do cartoons so frequently provoke overreactions?
NJ Bill Proposed To Prevent Schools Meddling In Student Journalism; UPDATE: Illinois Drafts Similar Legislation Into Law
The legislation will prohibit the vetting of articles prior to publication—with the exception of those that are libelous, unwarrantedly invade privacy, violate the law, or incite students to disobey school policies.
Bill Proposed To Streamline Legal Action Taken On Intellectual Property
The drafted legislation would allow copyright owners to avoid costly federal lawsuits when protecting intellectual property.
Does Apple’s Strict App Store Content Policy Limit Freedom of Expression?
Apple has a mysterious, yet evidently strict, approach to controversial content its App store. Does this limit freedom of expression?
On Violence and Nudity, Facebook’s Opaque Community Standards
After the death of Philando Castile, Facebook delineated it's policy on posts containing violence. It should do the same for all content deemed controversial.
Does The First Amendment Protect Citizens Who Film Police?
Citizen journalism has never been more prevalent. But are the consequences of the prominence of this sort of viral video footage more good than bad?
Previous Advocate Of Censorship Appointed To North Carolina Board of Education
J. Todd Chasteen once described Isabel Allende's critically acclaimed work The House of the Spirits as a 'sex book.'
Jersey City Paints Over Mural Portion After Allegations of Racism; UPDATE: Mural Removed, Affirming Need For Clear And Consistent Public Art Policy
Artist Gary Wynans, a Puerto-Rican-Italian, painted himself in the mural. Residents complained the image reinforced racial stereotypes.
Freedom Of Information Act Receives Milestone Reforms
President Obama on Thursday codified legislation to bolster the FOIA ensuring government accountability.
Virginia MOCA Removes Gas Mask From Artist’s ‘Makeover’ Statue; UPDATE: NCAC Releases Statement On Behalf Of Artist
The museum alleges Polish artist Olek broke her contract when she implemented the mask, intended to provoke thought about environmental damage.
It’s Not Censorship To Want More Female Game Protagonists
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson describes fan pressure on developers to implement more female video games as censorship, but is this fair?
Virginia School District Caves To Parent Pressure, Scraps Summer Reading List; UPDATE: Republican Senator Blasts Librarians For Selecting ‘Trash’, Petition Pushes Back
The Chesterfield County Public School summer reading list contained books that were "pornographic" and contained "vile, vile, nasty language," one mother complained.
Legislating Against Revenge Porn: The Constitutional Pitfalls
A Rhode Island Bill to tackle "revenge porn" was just nixed. But why was this a good thing?
Victory: Court Rules in Favor of Net Neutrality
A court has ruled against Internet providers looking to change the legal classification of internet service, which would have allowed bigger domain names to purchase faster connection speeds.
Video Games and Violence: Our Fear of the Immersive Perspective
A deep dive into the fear that immersive fictional content has historically provoked.
After Orlando, Are Social Media Sites Encroaching On Users’ Free Speech?
In the wake of the Orlando shooting, Reddit came under fire for censoring its user's content. How fair is this accusation?
School Librarians And Their Constitutional Responsibilities
What are the legal and educational responsibilities of school librarians in stocking their book shelves?
US Copyright Office Leads Inquiry to Tighten Online Content Takedown Procedure; UPDATE: Comment from The Authors Guild
A proposed change to the "notice and takedown" internet copyright procedure potentially threatens freedom of expression online.
On the significance of LOL cats
Ethan Zuckerman, who founded Global Voices Online, has an excellent talk in which he explains how web 2.0 services (that allow people to socially network, share LOL cats, and organize politically) play a critical role in getting around government censorship. You can read it here, with images he used at the talk. One gem, which is helpful demonstrates how porn [...]