Featured FEN Organizations
February 1st, 2013
A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Thursday sharply reducing the boundaries of the “clean zone” set up by the city for the upcoming Super Bowl game. The “clean zone” — which had included the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny — is an area in which only officially authorized vendors can sell souvenirs or other items. It also prohibits the display of unauthorized signs, banners and the like.
Creation of such “clean zones” is one of many actions the National Football League demands of cities hosting the Super Bowl. Similar zones are created for many other special events such as the Essence Music Festival and other major sports events.
Responding to a suit filed by the ACLU of Louisiana on behalf of two individuals, Judge Kurt Engelhardt ruled that the restrictions “may result in an infringement of plaintiffs’ rights of free speech.” He ordered that the restrictions on noncommercial speech be limited to the public areas around the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and New Orleans Arena.
The order essentially allows individuals to carry signs, flags and other previously prohibited media throughout the French Quarter, Faubourg Marigny and the rest of the Central Business District, said Marjorie Esman, executive director of the ACLU.
The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression
February 1st, 2013
A verdict in Barnes v. Zaccari is expected today. The jury began deliberations yesterday afternoon. The Valdosta Daily Times (Ga.) has more from inside the courtroom proceedings, highlighting Bob Corn-Revere's argument on behalf of former Valdosta State University student Hayden Barnes, who was expelled for peacefully protesting the planned construction of campus parking garages:
[Former Valdosta State University President Ronald] Zaccari was looking for any route he could find to dismiss Barnes, according to Corn-Revere, although no one, including the university police chief, found any information about Barnes that would classify the junior transfer as a threat.
"When Dr. Zaccari testified, he said Barnes was under-performing and doesn't know why he was ever admitted to the university," said Corn-Revere. "Why would Dr. Zaccari know that much about a single student. It's because he wanted a way to get rid of this particular student and had been spending large amounts of time analyzing Hayden's background and surveilling him.
When Barnes' grades began improving, Zaccari looked for other ways to get rid of him and began focusing on the e-mails and the political cartoon, said Corn-Revere. And on a day deemed the 911 of university systems, Barnes and Zaccari held ...
February 1st, 2013
Banned Egyptian Graphic Novel Back on Cairo Shelves
The banning of cartoons and graphic novels by the foreign regimes they criticize is an all-too-common story. So, it is always a welcome change to report a formerly banned work’s re-release. A once-banned graphic novel that criticized Hosni Mubarak’s government is now back on Egyptian bookshelves.
Magdy al-Shafee’s Metro is a noir tale of software developers struggling against a fundamentally corrupt economy and government under Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Published in a limited release in January 2008, it quickly gained notoriety when it was banned by the Egyptian government, and al-Shafee was fined for “infringing upon public decency.” Al-Shaffee vowed at the time to fight both the banning and the fine:
Shafee told Daily News Egypt that he was aware that sections of Metro — which contains limited content of a sexual nature — might offend some readers and that it was for this reason that a ” for adults only” warning was put on the front cover. Shafee added that the comic’s content does not mean that it should be removed from the market.
“It is unethical to suppress freedom of speech and take books off the market,” Shafee said. “This is about more than ‘Metro.’ If we stay ...
February 1st, 2013
When the First Amendment Protects “The Love Sponge,” It Protects Us All
A Tampa, FL jury has ruled in favor of radio DJ Bubba the Love Sponge Clem in the defamation trial brought against him by Todd ‘MJ’ Schnitt.
The jury of six people listened to about three hours of closing arguments and a rebuttal Wednesday morning before deliberations started.
Clem and his lawyers celebrated the verdict with a group hug.
“The First Amendment prevailed today. As unpopular as my speech is at times, it’s necessary for me and it’s necessary for you guys (the media),” said Clem, surrounded by his legal team outside the courthouse. “If this would’ve gone through it would’ve been a slippery slope.”
Schnitt sued Clem and the BTLS Radio Network for what he says were “highly offensive, insulting or fighting words and defamatory statements” made on-air in 2008 about him and his wife, Michelle.
“None of it was malice, none of it was intended to hurt- it was classic radio-war 101,” said Clem.
Read the rest of the article here.
The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression
February 1st, 2013
Remembering Carolyn Forsman: Librarian, Jeweler, and Free Speech Advocate
Carolyn Forsman, a former librarian who supported free expression by becoming an award-winning jewelry designer and creating pieces that celebrated the freedom to read, including her well-known “I Read Banned Books” bracelet, died on Jan. 19 in New York City following a short illness. She was 69.
Forsman developed the “I Read Banned Books” bracelet in 2005 in conjunction with the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF). The bracelet, which consists of tiles depicting the covers of challenged books, is sold in over 200 museum stores and independent bookstores across the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression
January 31st, 2013
Over the years, FIRE has repeatedly gone to bat for student newspapers and student journalists faced with censorship. That censorship came in many forms, ranging from newspaper theft, reduced support from student activity funds, and the firing of faculty advisors, to prior review and editorial control of content. Since it's Free Press Week, here, in no particular order, are three of the most egregious examples of free press violations from FIRE's case archives.
1. Prior Restraint at Quinnipiac University
Prior restraint was the censorship tool of choice for administrators at Quinnipiac University (QU) from 2007 through much of 2008. Back then, the university prohibited the student editors of The Quinnipiac Chronicle from publishing news online prior to the same news appearing in print. The university president claimed that the policy was necessary so that he could read the news in print "before the external world hears about it."
The policy didn't sit too well with the paper's editor-in-chief, Jason Braff, who then challenged the policy. The university responded by declaring that "student leaders, especially those in paid positions, are expected to generally be supportive of university policies." Then the administration took control over the selection ...
January 31st, 2013
Greg & ‘Unlearning Liberty’ Featured in ‘Cato Daily Podcast’
FIRE President Greg Lukianoff talks about free speech on campus and his new book, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate, in today's Cato Daily Podcast.
January 31st, 2013
Congress Will Battle Over Internet Privacy in 2013
Last year, we saw more battles in Congress over Internet freedom than we have in many years as user protests stopped two dangerous bills, the censorship-oriented SOPA, and the privacy-invasive Cybersecurity Act of 2012. But Congress ended the year by ramming through a domestic spying bill and weakening the Video Privacy Protection Act.
In 2013, Congress will tackle several bills—both good and bad—that could shape Internet privacy for the next decade. Some were introduced last year, and some will be completely new. For now, here's what's ahead in the upcoming Congress:
Reforming Draconian Computer Crime Law
The Computer Fraud and Abust Act (CFAA), was one of the key laws the government used in its relentless and unjust prosecution of Aaron Swartz. Zoe Lofgren has proposed "Aaron's Law," which ensures that breaking a terms of service or other contractual obligation does not amount to a CFAA violation. Lofgren's reforms are a terrific start and will be introduced in Congress over the coming weeks. EFF has also proposed revisions to Lofgren's language and overall reform to the CFAA that reduces the draconian penalties and clarifies key definitions in the statute. The proposed reforms will go a long way in preventing a ...
January 31st, 2013
LSU Med School Punts on Student Event about Pro Football Brain Injuries
Dispiriting news is coming out of New Orleans, as The Times-Picayune is reporting the cancellation of a long-planned event co-sponsored by two student organizations at the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Medicine. The event, originally scheduled for today (three days before the Super Bowl), was supposed to have featured a lecture by former New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Kyle Turley to draw attention to the health and safety hazards arising from head injuries in professional football.
The Times-Picayune reports:
Fliers said the event was sponsored by the LSU Medical Student Association and a group called Ethikos. It was scheduled for Thursday afternoon on the campus of LSU's Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. School officials are refusing to comment on the cancellation.
Turley said he had planned to introduce an as-yet unreleased film by Sean Pamphilon, the film producer who helped inflame the Saints bounty scandal with the release of an audio recording of former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams directing his players to inflict pain and injury on their opponents -- the San Francisco 49ers.
Turley commented on the cancellation to the Times-Picayune:
"At the last minute they decide to pull the plug. They have ...
January 31st, 2013
Senator Claims Video Games Are “Bigger Problem” Than Guns
Lamar Alexander
(Source: The New York Times)
The Senate Judiciary Committee began holding hearings regarding gun violence on Wednesday. During a day of heated and frequently preposterous commentary, the most ridiculous statement came from Senator Lamar Alexander (R-KY), who told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd that violent video games are a “bigger problem” than guns are.
When Todd asked Alexander whether he would support a universal background checks bill, Alexander responded with the following:
Chuck, I’m going to wait and see on all of these bills. I think video games is [sic] a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people. But the First Amendment limits what we can do about video games, and the Second Amendment to the Constitution limits what we can do about guns.
And just in case Alexander’s statement seems too unbelievably obtuse to be true, there’s video:
Jason Linkins with the Huffington Post covered the story, writing about the frequent –and false — connection pundits make between video games and gun violence:
I was never too convinced by the argument: Video games, unlike the act of shooting up an entire school of children, were and remain popular, with… millions of people partaking in the escape. ...