The Free Speech Center

If free speech only matters when convenient, it isn’t free at all We can condemn genuinely hateful language without constructing an environment where only pre-approved opinions are allowed to exist.

"If free speech only survives during moments of convenience, it’s not really free. It is permission masquerading as principle. And permission always has an expiration date," writes FIRE's Samuel J. Abrams. tinyurl.com/57wznhj8

New York Times suing Pentagon over Defense Secretary Hegseth's new press rules Since the new policy gives Hegseth the right to oust reporters working on stories he doesn't like — even if they don't involve classified information — it has a chilling effect on journalists, the new...

“The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes,” said Charles Stadtlander, spokesman for the New York Times. tinyurl.com/3p3hu6rd

Supreme Court likely to rule for abortion opponents in challenge to N.J. investigation The ACLU agreed that subpoenas seeking donor information can scare away supporters even before they're enforced.

The Supreme Court seemed likely on Dec. 2 to side with a faith-based pregnancy center raising First Amendment concerns about an investigation into whether it misled people to discourage abortions. tinyurl.com/ys4sbpy2

News outlets that reach millions denied access to rare Pentagon news briefings this week Defense Department briefings used to be routine and regular; only a handful have been held since Trump began his second term. It's unclear whether any of the briefings will be seen outside the Pentago...

“Denying access to briefings to credible and nonpartisan news media that routinely cover the Pentagon is not conducive to transparency for the American public, who fund the department’s budget to the tune of many hundreds of billions of dollars per year,” said Marc Lavine. tinyurl.com/2n475d4j

Lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike news media More than half of the teens surveyed believe journalists regularly engage in unethical behaviors like making up details or quotes in stories, paying sources, taking visual images out of context or doi...

“The negativity, the feeling that news is biased, is just a reflection of how their parents feel,” said Howard Schneider, executive director of SUNY Stony Brook's Center for News Literacy. “The more exposed to news, legitimate news, the more their attitudes turn positive.” tinyurl.com/mryy42wa

First Amendment in flux: When free-speech protections came up against the Red Scare Although the First Amendment failed to keep the Hollywood Ten out of prison, it ultimately prevailed.

As the Second Red Scare shows, when free speech is under attack, strategic compliance may be useful for individuals. However, bold and courageous acts of dissent are critical for protecting First Amendment rights for everyone. tinyurl.com/2wnzwm6t

Let's be frank / Order up / Worth what? Let’s be frank. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump called a reporter “piggy” because of his frankness. ■ Do...

In the latest newsletter … Trump’s “piggy” insult … AP vs. Trump in court … UFO burger mural … anarchist magazines … and much more First Amendment and journalism news. tinyurl.com/bdhzaz9f

AP, Trump administration argue press-access case before federal appeals court The AP says that if journalists are invited to cover an event on a pool basis, then it cannot discriminate on the basis of a news organization's freedom of speech.

“Letting the government control which journalists can cover the highest office in the land and setting rules about what those journalists can say or write is a direct attempt to undercut the First Amendment,” wrote Julie Pace, AP's executive editor. “It should worry all of us.” tinyurl.com/2av65k32

Why The AP is standing up for your right to speak freely When we talk about press freedom, we are really talking about your freedom.

Today, Nov. 24, The Associated Press will be back in court to defend itself against the White House and standing up for the right to speak and report freely without government retaliation. AP Executive Editor Julie Pace has written an op-ed about why AP has taken this stand. tinyurl.com/mwkyupka

Felony charge dropped after man spends month in Tenn. jail for Charlie Kirk post The Facebook post that got Larry Bushart arrested was a meme featuring President Trump and the words, "We have to get over it."

Authorities in Tennessee have dropped a felony charge against a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. tinyurl.com/56ky22a8

Appeals court pauses Calif. law requiring companies to report climate-related financial risk The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause the laws, arguing they violate the companies' First Amendment rights.

A U.S. appeals court on Nov. 18 paused a California law set to take effect in January requiring large companies to report every two years on how climate change could hurt them financially. tinyurl.com/24j8y4eh

How chummy is too chummy? Epstein emails shine light on relationships between journalists, sources Should journalists act differently in public from the way they do in private? They're not supposed to.

The emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein released last week shine a light on the delicate relationship between reporters and their sources. And, as can be the case, bright light isn’t always flattering. tinyurl.com/mrymam2h

Tenn. official's order undermines our public libraries I understand the concern of parents who see books in public libraries that might clash with their family’s values. The answer, of course, is to accompany your grade-school child to the library and mak...

We already have professionals doing their job, while also using a process whereby their decisions can be questioned. What does the state expect to find nestled between Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh in a children’s library? tinyurl.com/bdhj38jn

New! Free First Amendment e-book for educators The book, published by the First Amendment Press at Middle Tennessee State University, offers a highly accessible guide to incorporating First Amendment education into existing courses or in stand-alo...

The electronic book, published by the First Amendment Press at Middle Tennessee State University, offers a highly accessible guide to incorporating First Amendment education into existing courses or in stand-alone lessons. tinyurl.com/33zaa9cp

Federal district court dismisses class-action suit against Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer FIRE explained that commentary about a political election is core protected speech.

The court explained that “polls are a mere snapshot of a dynamic and changing electorate” and “the results of an opinion poll are not an actionable false representation merely because the anticipated results differ from what eventually occurred.” tinyurl.com/4z3a6by9

In Trump-dominated media world, editing video takes on new significance, as BBC uproar shows Much as print reporters who search through notebooks for the perfect quote, video editors often labor to identify footage that will advance a story.

In a different time, the BBC episode would likely have led to a quick admission of a mistake, a correction, and an apology, and everyone would have moved on, said Mark Lukasiewicz, a former NBC News executive and now dean of Hofstra University’s School of Communication. tinyurl.com/8sx9nedp

Kan. county agrees to pay $3 million and apologize over raid on small-town newspaper Experts said Marion's police chief at the time, Gideon Cody, was on legally shaky ground when he ordered it, and a former top federal prosecutor for Kansas suggested it might have been a criminal viol...

“They intentionally wanted to harass us for reporting the news, and you’re not supposed to do that in a democracy,” the newspaper's editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, said Nov. 11. tinyurl.com/3upcae6r

Fear 101 / Half empty / Hard-pressed Fear 101. Potentially lawless hardball tactics against California universities by the Trump administration is affecting free speech on cam...

In the latest newsletter … Trump’s effect on campus free speech … gender pronouns lose in court … Calif. antisemitism law challenged … Loomer wields Pentagon press pass … and much more First Amendment and journalism news. tinyurl.com/yc45ha5d

Texas ban on sexually explicit drag shows can be enforced, federal appeals court rules Senate Bill 12 prohibits drag performers from dancing suggestively or wearing certain prosthetics on public property or in front of children.

Texas can enforce a 2023 law that restricts some public drag shows, a federal appeals court ruled Nov. 6. tinyurl.com/4hdfpsat

Supreme Court to hear religious-freedom case that unites both sides of church-state divide Landor's case illustrates that minority religions should have as much protection under the First Amendment as larger faiths.

Landor v. Louisiana stands out because it underscores the complexity and far-reaching nature of religious freedom laws in the United States and the increasingly diverse faith traditions to which they apply. tinyurl.com/3h697z5a

Appeals court sides with parent group in fight over Ohio school district's pronoun policy The 6th Circuit found the district "has fallen far short" of meeting the standard that allowing such speech would "materially and substantially disrupt" school activities or infringe the legal "rights...

A divided federal appeals court in Ohio ruled against the state’s fourth-largest school district on Nov. 6 in a case that pitted its gender-pronoun policies against the rights of students who say there are only two genders. tinyurl.com/bdenryts

Conservative activist Laura Loomer, a Trump ally, says she has new Pentagon press pass Although Trump has downplayed Loomer's influence, the president last spring fired a handful of National Security Council officials after she had presented him with evidence of their supposed disloyalt...

With the Pentagon’s press room largely cleared of mainstream reporters, conservative activist and presidential ally Laura Loomer says she has been granted a credential to work there. tinyurl.com/4p9tpdj6

Arab-American group sues over new Calif. antisemitism law The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, does not define antisemitism but gives educators the impression that they could be charged with discrimination.

The law gives educators the impression that they could be charged with discrimination “if they expose their students to ideas, information, and instructional materials that may be considered critical of the State of Israel and the philosophy of Zionism,” the complaint says. tinyurl.com/3zyw3jhv

Anatomy of a news story: ‘60 Minutes’ invites audience into the editing process with Trump interview Transcript offered viewers a rare look inside the editing process at one of journalism’s best-known institutions, showing the dozens of decisions on clarity and newsworthiness that go into telling the...

“I was struck by how much of what didn’t air from the interview were the parts that seemed more rant-filled and often confusing,” wrote journalist Rick Ellis, who painstakingly compared transcripts of the full interview and what CBS broadcast for the website All Your Screens. tinyurl.com/47eec3wz

Media coalition sues Tenn. prison officials to get more access to executions They're seeking a judgment that the protocols are unconstitutional and an injunction to allow the press to see the full execution process.

“This lack of access has limited the public’s ability to obtain information from independent observers about execution proceedings in Tennessee,” the lawsuit says. tinyurl.com/4sxrcwnv

Fired Indiana University student newspaper adviser claims free-speech violation in federal lawsuit Editors of the Indiana Daily Student announced yesterday that the university had backtracked on its decision to cut future print editions for the rest of the school year.

“In a direct assault on the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, IU fired James Rodenbush when he refused the directive to censor student work in the campus newspaper and print only fluff pieces about the upcoming homecoming festivities,” the complaint reads. tinyurl.com/4jc2faj2

China says it 'will work with U.S.' to resolve issues related to TikTok China gave no details on any progress toward ending uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the U.S.

“China will work with the U.S. to properly resolve issues related to TikTok,” China’s Commerce Ministry said after the meeting. tinyurl.com/ya343m6d

D.C. police detained man for protesting National Guard patrol with Darth Vader song, lawsuit says The lawsuit accuses police of violating Sam O'Hara's First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force.

“The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests,” the lawsuit says. tinyurl.com/53wj9u2r

British political commentator detained by ICE at Calif. airport LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, was being held Oct. 27 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was detained by ICE officers at San Francisco International ...

Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, was being held Oct. 27 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was detained by ICE officers at San Francisco International Airport, according to federal officials. tinyurl.com/44w8fya7

PBS, NPR stations struggle with Trump-fueled government funding cuts Donations exceed expectations in some places, but some stations are already making the difficult decisions of cutting staff.

“The initial response in terms of support for both stations and the NPR network has been extraordinary,” said NPR's president. “People did a lot of work leading up to the vote, in actions and calls. When that did not prove convincing, they turned to direct support.” tinyurl.com/mry6cc3u