Monday, October 28, 2019
#FREESPEECH IN THE NEWS: October 28, 2019
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 – in the past week.
1.) Police sergeant facing discipline over anti-Muslim Facebook posts launches free-speech lawsuit
A new database is exposing thousands of discriminatory and violent social media posts from police officers. The database, called the Plain View Project, was launched by Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Emily Baker-White in June after she discovered violent and racist memes posted by an officer in one of her cases. Curious to see how widespread such rhetoric is among U.S. law enforcement, she enlisted the help of other attorneys and researchers to identify more than 3,500 personal Facebook accounts belonging to law enforcement officials.
The group scanned through posts to assess whether they could “undermine public trust and confidence in the police,” and found more than 5,000 with the potential to do just that. The exposure of these posts — which included everything from memes discriminating against Muslims to blog posts promoting right-wing militias and police brutality — motivated police departments to take action and investigate officers within their own ranks.
But six months into the project, it’s prompting something else — backlash from the officers whom the database has exposed. One of them, Phoenix Police Sgt. Juan Hernandez, says he is now suing his department for disciplining him, claiming his First Amendment rights are being violated.
2.) Zuckerberg defends Facebook's approach to free speech, draws line on China
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended the social media company’s light regulation of speech and lack of fact checking on political advertising, while citing China’s censorship as a roadblock to operating in the country.
Facebook has been under fire in recent years for its lax approach to fake news reports, state-backed disinformation campaigns and violent content spread on its services, prompting calls for new regulations around the world.
In a speech at Georgetown University filled with references to the First Amendment and the fight for democracy, Zuckerberg stood his ground, saying social media had introduced transformative avenues for speech that should not be shut down.
3.) Shaq Defends Free Speech, Says Daryl Morey Was “Right” About China
Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is defending Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for his tweet voicing support for protesters in Hong Kong, which subsequently sparked controversy between the NBA and China.
Appearing on TNT Tuesday night, Shaq said Morey was “right” to support the protesters.
“One of our best values here in America is free speech. We’re allowed to say what we want to say and we are allowed to speak out on injustices and that’s just how it goes,” O’Neal said during a panel discussion. “If people don’t understand that, that’s something they have to deal with.”
