Censorship
How the First Amendment protects Americans’ speech − and how it does not
How the First Amendment protects Americans’ speech − and how it does not The First Amendment protects Americans’ speech, including speech that may be distasteful or unpopular, as long as it does not incite violence, is not obscene, and does not constitute defamation or a true threat. The government can regulate speech through “reasonable time, […]
🏛️ Politics
Elon Musk is trying to silence Microsoft employees who criticize Charlie Kirk
Elon Musk is trying to silence Microsoft employees who criticize Charlie Kirk Elon Musk is pressuring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to investigate Blizzard employees who criticized Charlie Kirk after his death. Musk shared a thread on X showing names and screenshots of developers who allegedly “trashed” Kirk, prompting him to ask Nadella what’s going on. […]
🏛️ Politics
Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967
Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967 Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza has reached a record high, with 197 Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The killings are part of a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches […]
📰 News
China’s arrests of boys’ love authors does not equate to a ‘gay erotica’ crackdown
China’s arrests of boys’ love authors does not equate to a ‘gay erotica’ crackdown China’s recent arrests of boys’ love authors have been misinterpreted by Western media as a “gay erotica” crackdown, when in fact it’s a localized phenomenon related to online content regulation. The term “boys’ love” (BL) refers to a genre of East […]
🏛️ Politics
Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues
Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues due to self-censorship and polarization, which has led to a decline in trust among citizens. The polarization between Republicans and Democrats has resulted in […]
🏛️ Politics
Most Americans believe misinformation is a problem — federal research cuts will only make the problem worse
Most Americans believe misinformation is a problem — federal research cuts will only make the problem worse Research on misinformation and disinformation has been severely impacted by the Trump administration’s restructuring of federal research priorities, including the cancellation of hundreds of grants that supported this research. The overwhelming majority of Americans (95%) believe misinformation’s misleading […]
📰 News
3 ways the government can silence opinions it disagrees with, without using censorship
3 ways the government can silence opinions it disagrees with, without using censorship The US government can silence opinions it disagrees with without using censorship by making institutions change their advocacy to get government benefits, inducing self-censorship through intimidation, and molding the government’s own speech to promote official ideology. The Trump administration has used these […]
🏛️ Politics
When Elvis and Ella were pressed onto X-rays – the subversive legacy of Soviet ‘bone music’
When Elvis and Ella were pressed onto X-rays – the subversive legacy of Soviet ‘bone music’ During World War II, Soviet censors banned Western music, but some enterprising individuals used X-ray film to create “bone music” or “ribs,” a homemade technology that allowed them to record and play back sound on conventional records. The use […]
🎭 Entertainment
Trump’s aggressive actions against free speech speak a lot louder than his words defending it
Trump’s aggressive actions against free speech speak a lot louder than his words defending it Harvard University has sued the Trump administration, claiming that pressure campaigns to force viewpoint diversity on campus violate the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech. The Trump administration has taken aggressive actions against free speech, including targeting law firms and attorneys […]
🏛️ Politics
Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence
Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence The Trump administration’s intervention into higher education governance echoes historical attempts to bring universities under state influence or control. The administration’s actions, including withholding federal funding and launching investigations, aim to eradicate “discriminatory” DEI policies and fight […]
📰 News