Monday, November 21, 2016
#FreeSpeech in the News: Nov. 21, 2016
As the Citadel of Free Speech here in Cleveland, we work to protect and promote the basis of our democracy by sharing related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century. Here's what's making the news - and what you should know about - this week.
“This resolution’s recommendations to limit freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right to peaceful assembly contravene the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and must be opposed…”
US says anti-Nazi resolution at UN restricts free speech, Associated Press (AP)
“But, in reality, it’s the symbolism that panhandlers represent that has driven much of the public’s distaste for the practice. Few city officials appreciate panhandling. The real issue is about those who appreciate freedom of speech above disgruntled residents and worried cops.”
Panhandlers have right to free speech too, Baraboo News Republic
“There is no free speech because if I’m [talking about something] that’s better for my family, or my life, and it’s not hurtful to anybody, why shouldn’t I say that?”
Christian foster parents: Council ‘stopping our free speech’, BBC News
“For all its wailing about free speech in the wake of Trump’s election last week, the media spent eight years enabling and at times encouraging the Obama administration’s denigration of the First Amendment.”
Mainstream Journalists Don’t Care About Free Speech Until Donald Trump Attacks It, The Federalist
“But, if you’re not one of those political elites, just an ordinary person who wants to participate in political speech, you have no option but to ask for money from the very people you are communicating with. You have to band together with the like-minded to build up the same ability to spread your own message into the marketplace of ideas.”
Why Campaign Finance Rules Make Free Speech Expensive For The Little Guy, The Federalist
“Free speech morphed into hateful speech. Vile, angry, threatening, racist, misogynist epithets fired liked weapons at political opponents. And, thanks to the remarkable power of the internet – much of those word-weapons were fired anonymously.”
The Internet, Hate Speech And Politics, Forbes
“It is an unfortunate reality that we have always had extremely partisan and fact-light media. We have not, however, always had a free and open press, nor a society rich in free and plentiful information.
There is the great blessing of the digital age. Where once there were many gatekeepers to knowledge, now there are few. The true beauty of free speech – the marketplace of ideas – is that inevitably the inaccuracies are outmatched by the facts. A world of information abundance gets us closer to the ideal.”
Fake news, free speech, and Facebook’s responsibility in the digital age, The Hill
“It is trans and racialized communities’ freedom of expression that is at stake, not Peterson’s and this Trump-like supporters’.”
Pitting Free Speech Against Trans Rights Is A Toxic Debate, The Huffington Post Canada
“Can what we call free speech be moderated when expressed on today’s globally connected communications platforms, and do so without limiting the very openness and freedom that these platforms provide? Yes. Really.”
Can ‘free speech’ be ‘moderated’? Yes., Mashable
“Defenders of the Traverse City officer don’t label his actions as harassment, but as an example of his expression of First Amendment rights afforded to all citizens.”
How free speech applies to a police officer flying a Confederate flag, MLive.com
“Our higher-education system has been fully infiltrated by administrators like Salovey who think they must balance freedom of speech with bogus concerns such as ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusivity.’ With such people in power, free speech will keep eroding.”
Free Speech and Its Campus Enemies, The National Review Online
