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Want to know what is on our minds? Find blog posts written here, by the City Club staff, members, and partners. Every week you can find a new edition of #FreeSpeech in the News — a collection of related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century that’s making the news. You’ll also find takes on current events, past forums, and issues surrounding Northeast Ohio. Read on for all things City Club.

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Monday, February 27, 2017

#FreeSpeech in the News: Feb. 27, 2017

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.

"The First Amendment protects our rights in wonderful ways, but there’s nothing magic about the paper or ink of the Bill of Rights. Our speech, press, and religious freedom depend on us. It’s time we use them more frequently to advance liberty and less often to tear each other down.

“Free speech” isn’t a justification for being terrible, AL.com

“We chose this topic because with the political environment and the BDS movement, it’s become a real issue, especially for our young adults in the Jewish community.”

Free speech on campuses topic of Federation CRC meeting, Cleveland Jewish News

“I personally believe that free speech in India and in any society has to be debated.”

India’s Jaitley calls for limits on free speech, Financial Times

What Alexa says, Amazon is claiming, is protected under free speech laws.”

Do Robots Have Free Speech? Amazon Says Yes, Forbes

Free speech is core to our Democracy - it isn't something you can suspend and reinstate as suits the current political climate. We’re living in a new world of instant information decimation. That’s going to challenge tech leaders and platform providers to rethink their position of being neutral providers without a responsibility to filter or edit. As much as we may wish for a more "media-literate" consumer, it will fall to CEO’s of Google, Facebook, and Reddit to lead the way.”

It’s Down To The Tech Industry To Protect Free Speech In The Trump Era, Forbes

“What do these two incidences tell us about the infernal free speech debate? They tell us that it isn’t really a debate about free speech at all; it’s a debate about acceptable speech.”

The ‘free speech debate’ is nothing of the sort, whatever the far right says, The Guardian

“In South Carolina, there is free speech and then there is Black Speech.”

Free Speech and Black Speech in Charleston, South Carolina, The Huffington Post

“But Milo is proof that free speech obviously isn’t free. It has limits. Even in the US, where the First Amendment is a revered cornerstone of the Constitution – and a wrong word can cost you sorely.”

Un-blurring the lines of free speech, The Huffington Post

“Virginia is the cradle of democracy and it is a disgrace that many universities have lost track of the idea that it is their responsibility to uphold free-speech principles… By passing this measure we are communicating to universities and the public that students are in school to learn how to think; they are not going to college to be protected from differing opinions.”

Dave LaRock’s Virginia Campus Free Speech Resolution, National Review

“Given all this, and given the fact that the federal government provides tens of billions of dollars in student financial aid and university research grants each year, it is incumbent upon Congress to make the protection of First Amendment rights a prerequisite of its financial assistance to America’s colleges and universities.”

Federal Funding and Campus Free Speech: A Proposal, National Review

“Despite all of Yiannopoulos's talk, the reality is that the Breitbart News editor has thrived on political correctness. He built his brand not by saying substantive things but by demanding that he be allowed to say whatever he wants — while exploiting the fear that nothing could be seen as more politically incorrect than appearing to deny his right to free speech.”

Milo Yiannopoulos resigns from Breitbart, proving his free ride on free speech is over, The Washington Post

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