The panel will address important issues surrounding online hate speech in the U.S. and other parts of the world that lack First Amendment protections.
Gene Policinski Commentary: Journalists May Be Stuck With Assange’s First Amendment Defense
Certain charges in Assange's case might threaten legal protections afforded to those who report confidential information obtained by others.
Facebook Bans Alex Jones and Other Controversial Figures for Promoting Hate Speech and Violence
Facebook is banning some controversial, well-known figures for violating the social media giant’s policies on hate speech and promoting violence. The list includes Sandy Hook-denier Alex Jones, right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, conspiracy theorists Laura Loomer and Paul John Watson, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who promotes anti-Semitic views, and Paul Nehlen, a white nationalist who ran for Congress in 2018.
Book Talk Interrupted by White Nationalist Group At Popular D.C. Bookstore
A group of white nationalists disrupted an author’s book talk at a Washington, D.C. bookstore, chanting “this land is our land,” before exiting a few moments later. About a dozen […]
Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas Anti-BDS Law For Violating the First Amendment
A federal judge in Texas ruled that a law that prohibits state contractors from boycotting Israel violates the First Amendment. Bahia Amawi, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, worked as an independent contractor for a school district in Austin, Texas for nine years. Last year, when her contract came up for renewal, it contained a clause that said she wouldn’t boycott Israel. She refused to sign it, so the school district terminated her services.
FOIA Suit Filed Over Secret Government Database
An NBC affiliate in San Diego and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a suit under the Freedom of Information Act in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against four federal agencies. The complaint filed against the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Citizenship and Immigration Services seeks to obtain records requested in a March, 2019 FOIA concerning an alleged secret database the federal government had created on journalists covering immigration issues at the US and Mexico border.
Media Organizations Seek Access To Transcript of Closed Weinstein Hearing
Both the prosecution and the defense in Harvey Weinstein's case want a critical hearing set for Friday to take place behind closed doors, citing Weinstein's right to a fair trial. Now, 14 major news organizations are fighting for open access, asking a judge to keep the hearing open to the press and the public.
The U.S. Is Now A Less Safe Place For Journalists
A newly released annual report by Reporter Without Borders, called the “World Press Freedom Index,” reveals a disheartening state of freedom of the press around the globe—including in the U.S. “The number of countries regarded as safe, where journalists can work in complete security, continues to decline, while authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media,” the report says. The United States has now become a less safe place for journalists, ranking at No. 48 out of the 180 countries and territories on the list.