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“Journalism is Not a Crime”

May 3 marks the 30th anniversary of Press Freedom Day, inaugurated in 1993 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) with support from the United Nations (UNESCO). RSF’s original 1991 report provided a “round-up of journalists killed throughout the world” and laid the groundwork for what eventually became the Press Freedom Index, which now ranks freedom of […]
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The War on Free Speech Is Really a War on the Right to Criticize the Government
Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? The constitutional theory is that we the people are the sovereigns, the state and federal officials only our agents. We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can […]
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The Lifeblood of Democracy

Two cornerstones of democracy—freedom of expression and freedom of information—are under concerted attack, in the United States and around the world. In the US, for example, reactionary elected officials seek to ban books in schools, often in the name of protecting children; and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, seek to curb online […]
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Don’t Let the Government Criminalize Free Speech

If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. — George Washington What the police state wants is a silent, compliant, oblivious citizenry. What the First Amendment affirms is an engaged citizenry that speaks truth to power using whatever peaceful means are available to […]
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It’s Your Human Right to Access Russian News and Analysis Sites in English if You Want

Collage © Jan Oberg 2023 The human right to freely seek information is laid down in the American Convention on Human Rights from 1968. Article 13 states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression. This right includes freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds.” The Universal […]
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Freedom of Speech Victory in New York State!
Last summer, New York’s dictator… I mean, governor, Kathy Hochul, signed multiple new laws ostensibly in response to a mass shooting in Buffalo, NY. One of the bills related to “online hate” and required social media companies to report “hateful” content. In December 2022, Rumble (the free speech video-sharing platform) sued New York — citing […]