Social Issues & Culture
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Newsmax Didn’t Like Its NewsGuard Rating, So The FTC Attacked NewsGuard, And Now NewsGuard Is Suing
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
We’ve written a few times now about how the GOP’s “free speech warriors” have been waging an absolutely absurd campaign against NewsGuard, a company whose entire business model is… expressing opinions about the reliability of news sources. You know, speech. T…
Feb 20, 2026, 5:25 PM
The US Is Working on a Site to Help Europeans Bypass Content Bans on Hate Speech: Report
Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com
The online portal is set be hosted at Freedom.gov.
Feb 19, 2026, 4:55 PM
The ‘Most Massive Attack On Free Speech’ Is Happening Right Now, And The Twitter Files Crew Is Mighty Quiet
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
For the last five years, we had to endure an endless, breathless parade of hyperbole regarding the so-called “censorship industrial complex.” We were told, repeatedly and at high volume, that the Biden administration flagging content for review by social medi…
Feb 18, 2026, 5:28 PM
What To Know About The FCC Rule At The Center Of Trump Administration Efforts To Crack Down On Stephen Colbert And Other Late-Night Hosts
Ted Johnson, Deadline
When Stephen Colbert announced that CBS restricted him from airing an interview with a Democratic candidate, it set off a range of reactions: Some argued that it reflected Trump’s efforts to censor late-night content; others that it was merely enforcement of …
Feb 18, 2026, 12:21 AM
“Corporate Capitulation”: FCC Commissioner Criticizes CBS Decision To Ban Broadcast Of Stephen Colbert Interview With U.S. Senate Candidate
Ted Johnson, Deadline
Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC, called out CBS for restricting Stephen Colbert from featuring an interview with a U.S. Senate candidate on his late night show’s regular broadcast, as the network feared running afoul of equal time rules. On his show …
Feb 17, 2026, 5:30 PM
JD Vance doesn’t believe in free speech
Austin Sarat, Thomas Dumm, Salon
In 2025, the veep warned Europeans about censorship. Now the Trump administration is testing those same limits
Feb 17, 2026, 11:45 AM
Prison-Style Free Speech Censorship Is Coming for the Rest of Us
Jeremy Busby, The Intercept
The government wants to make it illegal to possess literature it deems dangerous — a familiar tactic to this incarcerated writer. The post Prison-Style Free Speech Censorship Is Coming for the Rest of Us appeared first on The Intercept.
Feb 16, 2026, 11:00 AM
Leakers Helped Destroy the Deportation Case Against Tufts Student
Seth Stern, The Intercept
The disclosures revealed the case was built entirely on an op-ed Rümeysa Öztürk co-wrote, a chilling attack on free speech. The post Leakers Helped Destroy the Deportation Case Against Tufts Student appeared first on The Intercept.
Feb 13, 2026, 6:55 PM
Tim Cook Faces FTC Warning Over Apple News Curation
Tim Hardwick, MacRumors
Apple has been issued a warning letter from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, urging it to review its content curation for Apple News so as to ensure that it is not suppressing conservative publications. In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, seen by the Fi…
Feb 12, 2026, 12:07 PM
Free speech lawsuits mount after Charlie Kirk assassination
Martin Kaste, NPR
Months after the killing of Charlie Kirk, a growing number of lawsuits by people claim they were illegally punished, fired and even arrested for making negative comments about Kirk.
Feb 12, 2026, 10:00 AM
'Pedophile Protector' Trump-Heckling Ford Employee Officially Receives No Discipline And Keeps Job
staff@jalopnik.com (Brad Brownell), Jalopnik
The constitution didn't protect Mr. Sabula from being fired by his employer for exercising his free speech, the UAW did that.
Feb 9, 2026, 5:35 PM
US FCC notice to broadcasters prompts concerns on curtailing free speech
Saumya Roy, Al Jazeera English
Critics say such actions and increasing corporate ownership of media is causing a backsliding in US media freedom.
Feb 6, 2026, 9:02 PM
Jenin Younes on Threats to Free Speech from the Left and the Right
The New Yorker
A First Amendment lawyer once attacked Democrats for suppressing unpopular opinions; she now sees a vastly greater threat from the Trump Administration.
Feb 6, 2026, 7:00 PM
DHS Is Hunting Down Trump Critics. The ‘Free Speech’ Warriors Are Mighty Quiet.
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
For years, we’ve been subjected to an endless parade of hyperventilating claims about the Biden administration’s supposed “censorship industrial complex.” We were told, over and over again, that the government was weaponizing its power to silence conservative…
Feb 5, 2026, 8:03 PM
Hey Gavin Newsom! Investigating TikTok’s Moderation Is Just As Unconstitutional As When Texas & Florida Tried It
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
We called bullshit when Republicans tried to order websites to carry content. We’re calling bullshit now when Democrats are trying to do the same. We spent years explaining to politicians across both parties why the government can’t dictate how private platfo…
Feb 2, 2026, 5:22 PM
DOJ Arrests Journalists Don Lemon & Georgia Fort For Acts Of Journalism, Even After Courts Rejected Arrest Warrants
Timothy Geigner and Mike Masnick, Techdirt
Last week, a federal magistrate judge told the DOJ it could not arrest journalist Don Lemon. The DOJ appealed and lost that appeal too. The legal system said no. So the DOJ arrested him anyway. On January 18th, protesters interrupted services at a Minnesota c…
Jan 31, 2026, 3:39 AM
Don Lemon Calls On Journalists To Push Back On Corporate Interference
TMZ Staff, TMZ
Don Lemon says journalists at CNN, CBS and other news organization need to grow a spine and push back against corporate influences that want to skew news coverage to curry favor with President Trump. A defiant Don made the call to action Friday on…
Jan 31, 2026, 2:06 AM
The FBI Raided A Reporter’s Home, Ignoring Laws Designed To Prevent Exactly That
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
If you want to understand how little the current administration cares about the First Amendment, look no further than a pre-dawn FBI raid on a journalist’s home—conducted in apparent violation of a federal law specifically designed to prevent exactly this kin…
Jan 26, 2026, 11:33 PM
Payment processors were against CSAM until Grok started making it
Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge
For many years, credit card companies and other payment methods were aggressive about policing child sexual abuse material. Then, Elon Musk's Grok started undressing children on X. The Center for Countering Digital Hate found 101 sexualized images of children…
Jan 26, 2026, 4:32 PM
Rand Paul Only Wants Google To Be The Arbiter Of Truth When The Videos Are About Him
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
Just a year and a half ago, Senator Rand Paul sponsored a bill that would make it illegal for federal government employees to ask internet companies to remove any speech. Now, in a NY Post op-ed, Paul proudly announces that he did exactly that—formally contac…
Jan 21, 2026, 5:29 PM
The Download: the US digital rights crackdown, and AI companionship
Charlotte Jee, MIT Technology Review
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. What it’s like to be banned from the US for fighting online hate Just before Christmas the Trump administration dramati…
Jan 19, 2026, 1:39 PM
Trump’s ‘Free Speech’ Presidency Racked Up 200 Censorship Attempts In Its First Year
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it because apparently it needs repeating: Donald Trump is not a free speech president. He just plays one on TV while doing the exact opposite behind the scenes. And in front of the scenes. And basically everywhere. …
Jan 16, 2026, 8:11 PM
Rep. Luna Threatens Journalist With Prison For Posting… Public University Bio
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
If you want to understand how far MAGA Republicans have strayed from any actual “free speech” principles, look no further than this: Congress issued a subpoena to Rolling Stone journalist Seth Harp, because he posted on X a publicly available online biography…
Jan 9, 2026, 7:05 PM
Trump’s cultural coup is doomed to fail
Heather Digby Parton, Salon
Artists are protesting Trump's Kennedy Center takeover — and creating art in defiance of his repression
Jan 1, 2026, 2:00 PM