Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on a petition for a writ of certiorari in Colorado Independent v. District Court. The brief urges the Court to grant certiorari because the Colorado Supreme Court’s rejection of a First Amendment right of access to judicial records inhibits public monitoring [...]
FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly To Deliver Keynote Address FOR RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2018 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., October 23, 2018 – The Media Institute will bestow awards on journalist Chris Wallace, host of “FOX News Sunday,” and Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Urban One, Inc., at its annual [...]
Nationwide Event Fosters Public Awareness of Free Speech FOR RELEASE: October 19, 2018 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., October 19, 2018 – Free Speech Week (FSW) begins Monday, Oct. 22, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 28. Media organizations, schools, universities, and community groups around the country will promote free speech [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 10-11-18 President Donald Trump Thursday (Oct. 11) signed the Hatch-Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, which updates the music licensing framework for the digital age and provides congressional overnight of a Justice Department review of long-standing consent decrees with ASCAP and BMI. While the bill includes providing payments for previously [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 10-10-18 FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly pitched Kentucky broadcasters on his proposal to deregulate children's TV rules. Generally broadcasters support a lighter touch, but O'Rielly's pitch was delivered with some tough love. In a speech to the Kentucky Broadcasters Association, O'Rielly ticked off stats showing that kids are increasingly [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Nieves v. Bartlett. The case deals with the question of whether the existence of probable cause defeats a First Amendment retaliatory arrest claim as a matter of law. The brief notes that where arrests of journalists are motivated by [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the Minnesota Supreme Court in Larson v. Gannett Co., Inc. The brief argues that the Court should affirm the court of appeals decision that the fair report privilege applies to news coverage of official press releases and official press conferences. A decision to paraphrase [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in National Rifle Association v. Bondi. This case questions whether civil litigants challenging the constitutionality of a state statute may do so anonymously because they fear harassment. The brief argues that permitting pseudonymous plaintiffs impinges [...]
By Greg Lukianoff and Adam Goldstein… Free speech on campus has been in the news recently, and we are happy to see the fight our organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), has been waging for almost 20 years get the attention it deserves. To get to the bottom of the disturbing, illiberal [...]
By InsideRadio, insideradio.com, 9-19-18 A sweeping update to federal music licensing law, including changes that could impact how much radio pays to songwriters in the future, cleared a significant hurdle late Tuesday. In a unanimous voice vote, the Senate approved the Music Modernization Act (S. 2823) leading to a chorus of celebration in the music [...]