“People are pretty mad — mad that government has not taken what we do seriously,” one reporter said on Tuesday. “When the news broke yesterday … people were outraged and disgusted. No one was yelling and screaming, but it was like, ‘Are you kidding me!?’” “People are ticked,” said another. “Everyone supports the reporters involved.” [...]
Tag Archives | First Amendment
Unprecedented Justice Dragnet on the Associated Press
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy The government would not say why it sought the records. Officials have previously said in public testimony that the U.S. attorney in Washington is conducting a criminal investigation into who may have provided information contained in a May 7, 2012, AP story about [...]
Federal Judge Rules “National Security Letters” Violate First Amendment
With the Patriot Act, in 2001 the FBI began issuing NSLs – “national security letters.” Now a ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, in San Francisco, finds that NSLs are unconstitutional. At AlterNet, Natasha Lennard writes that NSLs are … demands for data that contain gag clauses, preventing recipients from disclosing their existence or [...]
News Desk: Secretive “Stingray” Surveillance Tool Becomes More Pervasive, Questions Over Its Illegality Increase [via EFF]
As Secretive “Stingray” Surveillance Tool Becomes More Pervasive, Questions Over Its Illegality Increase (via EFF) A few months ago, EFF warned of a secretive new surveillance tool being used by the FBI in cases around the country commonly referred to as a “Stingray.” Recently, more information on the device has come to light and it [...]
Freedom of the Press Foundation Launched to ‘Block US Government Attacks’
Glenn Greewald writes, about the new Freedom of the Press Foundation, at The Guardian (emphasis added throughout post): Nothing is more vital than enabling true transparency and adversarial journalism, and preventing further assaults on them. Greenwald is a member of the Board of Directors of the new organization, who signed the announcement about the group, [...]
Did Ratings or Duty to Public Pressure CNN to Cross Lines on Stevens Journal?
“We think the public had a right to know what CNN had learned from multiple sources about the fears and warnings of a terror threat before the Benghazi attack which are now raising questions about why the State Department didn’t do more to protect Ambassador Stevens and other US personnel,” the representative said “Perhaps the [...]
9/11 Legacy: No More Privacy
“Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security.” – Benjamin Franklin EISENHOWER WARNED us and now as a reaction and an excuse born out of the attacks on September 11, both Democratic and Republican parties have vanquished individual freedom on the altar of protection. From Salon.com, an article that first appeared on [...]
Rupert Murdoch and the Pictures of Naked Prince Harry
Rupert Murdoch took to Twitter to express his sympathy for Prince Harry in the wake of the naked pictures controversy, urging all to give the royal “a break.” [The Hollywood Reporter] WHAT HAPPENS in Las Vegas if you’re a member of the royal family definitely does not stay in Las Vegas. After TMZ splashed the [...]
News Desk: Romney to Reporter, No Questions on Abortion or Todd Akin
THE FIRST AMENDMENT continues to be shredded by politicians, because the 24/7 new-media competition for eyeballs, page views and advertising that forces news outlets to acquiesce to a candidate’s wishes is killing it. ABC News’s Jake Tapper tweeted the video above, which speaks for itself. Team Obama is doing their own fiddling with the First [...]
NBC Lets Guy Adams Out of Twitter Jail
**UPDATED** REPRESENTATIVE OF NBC’S aggressive content fencing, as well as their police grip on everything Olympics, when Guy Adams started ripping the network for their coverage of the London Olympic games, they took action. Twitter obliged. As you can see above, he’s back, promising an article to follow. …[update] and as promised, here it is: [...]
Access to Obama and Romney, the Difference
LAST NIGHT I once against asked the question about why Mormonism isn’t being examined, with Mr. Romney being asked about different aspects of his faith. At the same time Jeffrey Goldberg was doing the same thing. An excerpt: The only Jew to ever get close to the White House was Senator Joseph Lieberman, who isn’t [...]
First Amendment Takes Another Hit
I think it’s interesting because I think it is very difficult to talk about the war dead and the fallen without invoking valor, without invoking the words “heroes.” Why do I feel so [uncomfortable] about the word “hero”? I feel comfortable — uncomfortable — about the word because it seems to me that it is [...]
Target of Fantasy Flynt Ad “Commends” Hustler for “Honesty”
“That’s satire. I’m able to publish this because of the Supreme Court case I won in 1984, Flynt v. Falwell.” – Larry Flynt [h/t The Blaze] HE’S THE RUSH Limbaugh of graphic images. The leader in sliming the right, as Limbaugh is to the left. Like Limbaugh’s verbal assault on Sandra Fluke, Larry Flynt has [...]
Catholic League’s War on Jon Stewart’s ‘Vagina Manger’
The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook Oh, sweet Jesus on a biscuit. No, actually, that would be a plastic baby Jesus in a miniature manger tucked in tight on a woman’s tee-tee and shown on TV. The Catholic League is taking on [...]
Frantic ‘War on Women’ Media Defense by Republicans
A word of caution about what you’ll be reading from now until November. An example is seen in an op-ed on Politico alleging that “Bay State not buying ‘war on women.’” It’s written by a woman associated with the Independent Women’s Voice, which is run by Kellyanne Conway, who also was hired by Newt Gingrich. [...]
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