Tuesday, November 29, 2016
#FreeSpeech in the News: Nov. 29, 2016
Teddy Eisenberg, Content Coordinator, The City Club of Cleveland
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.
“In the past two years, the country’s ruling party has shown a worsening, often violent intolerance for public criticism, and with an 11-year civil war in the rear-view mirror, a culture of silence often deters would-be protestors from publically airing their grievances.”
Free speech becomes a talking point in Sierra Leone as WhatsApp storm rages, The Guardian
“They said that silencing Yiannopoulos vindicated him, ‘reinforcing his accusation that our society is against free speech.’”
Pupils’ stand for free speech is a lesson to us all, The Guardian
“Twitter was on solid legal ground when it recently suspended accounts of prominent ‘alt-right’ group members, but some say the move could chill free speech because the social media platform has become a giant public forum.”
Twitter move triggers free speech debate, Los Angeles Daily News
“Hate speech can’t be a crime because it is protected by the First Amendment… But the First Amendment doesn’t apply to people who run the internet.”
Social Media Companies Are Not Free Speech Platforms, Motherboard
“When Donald Trump takes office in January, he will inherit a surveillance state that George W. Bush largely created and that president Obama refused to rein in… privacy is vital to a democracy, and the fate of free speech and the free press are in the hands of a thin-skinned bully who doesn’t seem to care for them.”
