FreeSpeech
There’s an intensifying kind of threat to academic freedom – watchful students serving as informants
There’s an intensifying kind of threat to academic freedom – watchful students serving as informants Academic freedom is under threat due to watchful students serving as informants, leading to self-censorship among professors. A recent survey found that 58% of faculty reported self-censoring in their classrooms, and a study at Harvard University found that many faculty […]
🏛️ Politics
Searching reporters’ homes, suing journalists and repressing citizen dissent are well-known steps toward autocracy
Searching reporters’ homes, suing journalists and repressing citizen dissent are well-known steps toward autocracy Autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the US President Donald Trump are taking steps to repress criticism and silence independent media, threatening free speech and public ignorance. The use of lawsuits to intimidate journalists, such as Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit against […]
🏛️ Politics
What the First Amendment doesn’t protect when it comes to professors speaking out on politics
What the First Amendment doesn’t protect when it comes to professors speaking out on politics Public colleges and universities have limited First Amendment rights compared to private institutions, meaning they can discipline employees for their speech more easily. The First Amendment only protects public employees’ speech when it’s about a “matter of public concern” or […]
🏛️ Politics
Supreme Court to decide if Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy violates free speech
Supreme Court to decide if Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy violates free speech The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on October 7, 2025, to determine if Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy violates free speech. The case, Chiles v. Salazar, centers around whether talk therapy used by licensed professional counselor Kaley Chiles to try […]
🏛️ Politics
McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity
McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity Texas A&M University has fired a children’s literature professor, Melissa McCoul, over her discussion of gender identity in class, sparking concerns about academic freedom and free speech. The university claims that McCoul’s course content was not consistent with the published course […]
🏛️ Politics
Censorship campaigns can have a way of backfiring – look no further than the fate of America’s most prolific censor
Censorship campaigns can have a way of backfiring – look no further than the fate of America’s most prolific censor The Trump administration’s efforts to suppress speech it disfavors may backfire, as seen in the case of comedian Jimmy Kimmel being suspended from his show and subsequently gaining more viewers than ever before. The history […]
🏛️ Politics
Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated – but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump
Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated – but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension by ABC after making comments about the alleged shooter in Charlie Kirk’s death has sparked debate over whether it violates his First Amendment rights. The First Amendment protects […]
🏛️ Politics
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
Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before
Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before TV networks are more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before, as seen in the recent suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show after he made comments about a conservative activist. The decline of traditional TV and the […]
🏛️ Politics
Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr
Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr Charlie Kirk’s death has led to an AI-generated martyr complex, where he is being portrayed as a truth seeker who made a heroic sacrifice, with supporters describing him as “America’s greatest martyr to free speech”. The phenomenon of hagiography, or the process of elevating public figures […]
🏛️ Politics