By John Bussian... In the lore of the American First Amendment, truth as a defense to libel is an article of faith. As it should be. Since the fabled 1735 trial of New York publisher John Peter Zenger, there has not been a serious, much less a successful effort to argue that truth of the underlying [...]
By Floyd Abrams... American First Amendment law, former United States solicitor general and associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Charles Fried has rightly said, “is the most libertarian and speech protective of any liberal democratic regime.” As such, its consequences and implications are profound. The exceptionalism of the United States in the [...]
Public Awareness of Free Speech Is Goal of Nationwide Event FOR RELEASE: October 12, 2017 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., October 12, 2017 – Free Speech Week (FSW) will begin Monday, Oct. 16, and run through Sunday, Oct. 22. Media organizations, schools, universities, and community groups around the country [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 9-26-17 Opponents of the FCC's proposal to roll back the Title II reclassification of internet access providers and rethink the 2015 Open Internet order are preparing for their Sept. 27 Day of Advocacy. The protest is focused on Capitol Hill and is being led by Public Knowledge, [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 9-26-17 The FCC has eliminated the requirement that TV stations and cable operators retain paper copies of the FCC's rules. The item was noncontroversial -- and the vote unanimous -- and newly returned Democratic commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel did not even make a statement, simply saying she supported [...]
Department of Justice press release, 9-26-17 The U.S. Department of Justice on Sept. 26 filed a Statement of Interest in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski. The lawsuit was filed by students at Georgia Gwinnett College to challenge a school policy that limited student expressive activity to two small “free-speech zones” that totaled 0.0015% of the campus. Additionally, [...]
Congressman Marsha Blackburn To Deliver Keynote Address FOR RELEASE: July 31, 2017 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., July 31, 2017 – The Media Institute will bestow awards on Dave Lougee, president and CEO of TEGNA, and Jeffrey Herbst, immediate past president and CEO of the Newseum, at its annual [...]
By Gary Arlen, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 8-3-17 Jessica Rosenworcel and Brendan Carr can take their seats for their allotted terms as FCC commissioners, but Chairman Ajit Pai will have to wait until autumn to find out if he can remain at the FCC past next December. It's all part of the complicated, partisan deal [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-27-17 Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin told a Senate Appropriations Committee audience at a hearing Wednesday that the administration is coming out with a position on state collection of internet taxes and signaled that could be a way to pay for needed infrastructure upgrades. Currently states can collect taxes on [...]
FOR RELEASE: July 31, 2017 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., July 31, 2017 – The Media Institute will honor TEGNA President and CEO Dave Lougee and Newseum President and CEO Jeffrey Herbst at its annual Friends & Benefactors Awards Banquet Sept. 27 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C. [...]