Social Issues & Culture
- Free Speech
220 articles
Sort
Page 1 of 10
per page
ABC Tells FCC Its Early Review Of Broadcast Licenses Chills Free Speech: “An Extraordinary Demonstration Of Power And Coercion”
Ted Johnson, Deadline
The Walt Disney Co. and ABC are once again pushing back on the FCC, this time over the agency’s demand that it file early renewal applications for its broadcast licenses, a move that the company calls a threat to the First Amendment. “It is an extraordinary d…
May 28, 2026, 7:48 PM
Trump’s war on free speech extends far beyond campus walls
Bruce Schneier, Jon Penney, Salon
The chilling effect of Trump's actions is felt well beyond the quad.
May 28, 2026, 10:00 AM
Woman fired by university over Charlie Kirk post to receive $225,000 legal settlement...
Russ Bynum, Associated Press
Attorneys say a woman fired by an Indiana university over her Facebook post criticizing Charlie Kirk will receive $225,000 in a legal settlement. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana says Tuesday that Ball State University agreed to the payout to set…
May 27, 2026, 1:10 PM
Man Jailed 37 Days for Single Trump Meme Wins $835,000 Settlement
Jim Vorel, Jezebel
Since 2007, Jezebel has been the Internet's most treasured source for everything celebrities, sex, and politics...with teeth.
May 20, 2026, 4:56 PM
Tennessee man jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement
R.J. RICO, Yahoo Entertainment
Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the...
May 20, 2026, 1:01 PM
America ’s dangerous, messy deepfakes crackdown is here
Lauren Feiner, The Verge
A law requiring social networks to quickly remove sexual deepfakes and other nonconsensual imagery is now fully in force. But experts warn the policy could do little to help victims - and at worst could facilitate censorship online. Last May, President Donald…
May 19, 2026, 2:58 PM
FTC’s Strict Anti-Deepfake Rule Kicks in Today. Here’s What That Means for Grok
Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com
Digital platforms will be held liable for nonconsensual sexual images but critics say it will be a free speech disaster.
May 19, 2026, 1:00 PM
X is fighting Andrew Tate’s attempt to unmask his critics
Lauren Feiner, The Verge
X is fighting for its users' right to anonymity against the far-right influencers and accused human traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are seeking to unmask their online critics. The Tate brothers filed suit against the owners of more than a dozen socia…
May 15, 2026, 1:30 PM
ABC argues Trump administration is trying to chill free speech
The Associated Press, NPR
In a filing, ABC accuses the Trump administration of trying to chill its constitutionally protected free speech. The point of contention: "The View," and whether it's subject to equal time rules.
May 9, 2026, 4:37 AM
ABC and Disney accuse Trump admin of violating First Amendment rights
Lauren Feiner, The Verge
ABC is accusing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of violating its First Amendment rights by making "major shifts in policy and practice" that the network claims will chill free speech. The network is asking the FCC to "affirm its long-standing appr…
May 8, 2026, 5:52 PM
ABC Says FCC’s Equal Time Crackdown On ‘The View’ Poses A Chill To Its First Amendment Rights
Ted Johnson, Deadline
ABC said that the the FCC’s efforts to restrict political candidates from appearing on shows like The View amount to a violation of its First Amendment rights, pushing back on Trump-appointed Brendan Carr‘s efforts to use his regulatory authority to threaten …
May 8, 2026, 4:04 PM
Congrats Everyone: U.S. Now Ranked 64th In Global Press Freedom
Karl Bode, Techdirt
Good news if you really enjoy corporatism, autocracy, propaganda and a violently misinformed electorate! The U.S. has fallen to sixty-fourth place (now below Ukraine) in the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index. As corrupt, oligarc…
May 5, 2026, 12:30 PM
House will consider resolution condemning Twitch streamer Hasan Piker for alleged antisemitism
Nur Ibrahim, Snopes.com
On April 30, 2026, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced a resolution to the U.S. Congress condemning Twitch streamer Hasan Piker for alleged antisemitism.
May 3, 2026, 2:00 AM
US falls to ‘historic low’ in press freedom tracker: RSF
Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English
Reporters Without Borders warns of 'press freedom crisis' in US amid media consolidation, Trump policies.
Apr 30, 2026, 5:41 PM
Press freedom worldwide falls to its lowest level in 25 years
Alex Milan Durie, Al Jazeera English
Reporters Without Borders warns that 'journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide'.
Apr 30, 2026, 9:07 AM
Trump admin probe into ABC amid Kimmel row sparks US free speech concerns
Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English
Critics accuse US president of using Federal Communications Commission to censor critics in violation of speech rights.
Apr 29, 2026, 5:44 PM
Supreme Court sides with anti-abortion center raising 1st Amendment fears about state investigation
LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Yahoo Entertainment
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with a faith-based pregnancy center that raised First Amendment concerns about an investigation into whether it misled...
Apr 29, 2026, 2:08 PM
‘Free Speech’ President Trump, Once Again, Tries To Get Jimmy Kimmel Fired For Jokes
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
Apparently we’ve reached the stage of the second Trump presidency when we’re doing reruns of the old hits. As you’ll recall, Donald Trump has been desperate to get late-night TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel fired for quite some time. While Trump has long co…
Apr 28, 2026, 7:56 PM
The Broken U.S. Press Sits Down For Cocktails And Giggles With Fascists
Karl Bode, Techdirt
This Saturday is the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (WHCA). And there’s been ample criticism of journalists that plan to have giggles and cocktails with overt fascists, given this helps normalize of one of the most racist, censorial, and corru…
Apr 22, 2026, 12:29 PM
Court To Bondi: Demanding Platforms Censor Speech And Bragging About It On Fox News Is, In Fact, A First Amendment Violation
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
For the better part of five years, we’ve been treated to an elaborate performance about the unprecedented constitutional horror of “jawboning.” Jim Jordan held hearings. Missouri’s AG sued. The Supreme Court heard Murthy v. Missouri and concluded there wasn’t…
Apr 20, 2026, 4:31 PM
Hundreds Of Veteran Journalists And Groups Urge WHCA To “Speak Forcefully” About Trump’s Attacks On Media As He Attends Annual Dinner
Ted Johnson, Deadline
When Donald Trump attends the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner for the first time as president on Saturday, the pressure will be on the journalists’ organization to make some sort of a statement about the president’s relentless attacks on the me…
Apr 20, 2026, 1:28 PM
The Supreme Court Ruled Against 'Informal Censorship' 6 Decades Ago but Officials Are Still Jawboning
Jacob Sullum, Reason
The Court's 1963 ruling in Bantam Books v. Sullivan is freshly relevant in light of recent efforts to restrict speech through government intimidation.
Apr 19, 2026, 6:31 PM
A First Amendment Legend Eviscerates Brendan Carr With Substance And Style
Mike Masnick, Techdirt
We’ve been covering Brendan Carr’s censorial ambitions for a long time now. When Trump first picked him to chair the FCC, we warned people that the “free speech warrior” branding was a total sham. We later dug into the letter from a massive coalition of 80+ l…
Apr 17, 2026, 6:03 PM
Elon Musk Scores a Victory Against Free Speech
Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com
The Trump regime thinks it should be illegal to not give Elon money.
Apr 15, 2026, 7:25 PM