TagFree speech
The Tech Giants Looming in the Background
The presence of these tech giants at Trump's inauguration signals a major "vibe shift" in the culture.
Music in the Mind
The need for poetry in totalitarian times
Oxford Word of the Year: Brain Rot
The flood of online content deteriorates our mental and intellectual states
A Big Question: Is Legacy Media Dead?
The rise of citizen journalism and considering what we lose without traditional "gatekeepers"Used to, you had to go through the media gatekeepers to put your work out there. With the advent of the internet and platforms like X, Substack, YouTube, and others, however, the masses can all create personal accounts and honk news and opinions into the world. The competition is no longer just between different outlets, but now extends to individual people. Who can speak the loudest and draw the most attention? Who can create the most effective personal “brand”? The Washington Post saw a massive drop in subscriptions following its decision not to endorse a presidential candidate for the 2024 election. But its influence was already declining. The media giant responsible for breaking the vast background story of the Watergate Read More ›
Free Speech Report at Harvard: Professors Afraid to Speak Up
The elite college still fails to promote free speechPerhaps no sphere of society has become more vulnerable to “groupthink” than the modern American university. Concerns about free speech rights have long circled the discourse over the last couple of years, with cancel culture coming for everyone who even hints at heterodox viewpoints. Rikki Schlott, a writer for the New York Post, recently wrote a report on how some professors at Harvard University, the most prestigious academic institution in the United States, feel hemmed in by the prevailing campus consensus. At a place where the quest for truth is engraved on its founding banner, academics no longer feel comfortable doing just that: professing what they take to be different reflections on what counts as the truth. Schlott writes, Harvard Read More ›
Tulsi Gabbard Put on Terror Watch List. Is the Dystopia Already Here?
Tyranny is starting to rear its head in the western worldLast week, the United Kingdom warned its citizens about what they post online, noting they could be criminally prosecuted for sharing content that can “incite” violence. Free speech advocates were quick to condemn the announcement as censorial and undemocratic. But is America immune from the thought police? Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii was recently put on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) terror watchlist. According to whistleblower reports, she and her husband were followed by federal agents and a team of dogs last month and checked multiple times at airports as they traveled across the United States and overseas. Local Hawaiian lawmakers sent a statement to the TSA condemning the “harassment”: The people of Hawaii love Tulsi and your actions Read More ›
The U.K. Government Reposts Censorious Tweet
The rising authoritarianism in western societies is becoming more evidentIn light of the violent protests and now counter-protests raging across the England and elsewhere in the United Kingdom (UK), the UK government reposted an announcement on X that those posting online content promoting “hatred” or “violence” could be criminally prosecuted. Here’s the post: Not only can citizens face prosecution by posting inciteful content (although the video makes no mention about what that really is), but they can also get nabbed for simply reposting it from someone else. The pushback on X was swift, with critics calling the post a blatant instance of government overreach and comparing the measure to something we would expect in authoritarian countries like China and North Korea. The debate over free speech in western countries Read More ›
Substack: A Return to the Golden Era of Blogging
The writing platform is friendly toward free speech. So why doesn't Elon Musk like it?
Is TikTok a National Security Risk?
Consuming without thinking is fertile soil for propaganda
Yes, TikTok is Bad. But is a Ban the Answer?
This might be the way censorship sneakily invades.
The Crisis of Trust in the Mainstream Media
A vibrant and engaged media is essential to protecting American liberty. But what if it can't be trusted?This is cross-posted at Humanize. Visit this link to listen to the entire conversation between host Wesley J. Smith and journalist/commentator Alice Stewart. A vibrant and engaged media is essential to protecting American liberty—which is why the First Amendment provides such a strong protection for freedom of the press. If the media are to carry out their societal responsibilities, journalists must have the trust of news consumers. But these days, trust is in low supply. An October 2022 Gallup Poll found that only 34% of Americans trust the mass media to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” Why are the media experiencing this profound crisis of trust and what can be done about it? Wesley’s guest on this episode Read More ›
World Famous Psychologist Loses Appeal to Avoid “Social Media Training”
Does this decision legitimately restrict free speech?Clinical psychologist, world-renowned speaker, and author Jordan B. Peterson, who rose to international fame in 2017 after speaking out against an impending Canadian speech law involving mandatory gender pronoun use, may be compelled to take in “social media training.” (RELATED: Three More Key Takeaways From the Twitter Files and Their Fallout | Mind Matters) Several complaints regarding Peterson’s online rhetoric were sent to the College of Psychologists of Ontario in 2022, and the organization decided to have him undergo a professionalism training in order to address his online tone. Peterson appealed the decision, but lost, according to CBC: Three Ontario Divisional Court judges unanimously dismissed Peterson’s application, ruling that the college’s decision falls within its mandate to regulate the profession in Read More ›
“Deeply Unsettling:” Popular YouTube Host Concerned Over Online Censorship
After one of his videos was removed from YouTube, economist and talk show host Glenn Loury had questions.
Twitter’s Copycat Rival is Coming to You via Meta. Will It Survive?
Meta will again co-opt the ideas of its competitors and hope for the bestMeta is reportedly trying to compete with Twitter by introducing a similar app called Threads. The app will be connected to Instagram and will allow a cross-over of followers, etc. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, some have complained about loosened constraints regarding speech and expression. A number of formerly suspended accounts, such as those belonging to psychologist Jordan Peterson, the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee, and a number of other (mostly conservative) voices, were reestablished following Musk’s “takeover.” Now Meta is trying to capitalize. If they’re going to launch Threads, now is probably the best time to do it. Apart from the overarching complaints against Twitter and Musk, the platform is now limiting how many tweets a user Read More ›
An Entertaining Day at the Blue Bird
NPR bids "adieu" to Twitter and BBC bungles interview with MuskA few days ago, the tag “Government-funded Media” appeared underneath NPR’s masthead on Twitter. Today, the company announced its departure from the social media platform and laid out its intentions to proliferate content through email, an app, and “other social media platforms.” The official post reads, “NPR produces consequential, independent journalism every day in service to the public.” NPR claims editorial independence despite the tag denoting them as federally funded, and their decision to part ways with Twitter reflects their ire against Musk’s trepidatious move. A small percentage, according to NPR, is federally funded, but it is no secret that they lean heavy to the left in their commentary, especially in recent years. Musk resurrected a line from NPR (now Read More ›
“It All Comes Down to Ethics”
Robert J. Marks interviewed for recent article on "killer robots"Robert J. Marks and his book The Case for Killer Robots: Why America’s Military Needs to Continue Development of Lethal AI were mentioned in a Fortune Magazine article by Jacob Carpenter, which discussed the issue of robotic and AI-controlled weapons in police and military forces. Marks was interviewed for the article and his phrase “in the end, it comes down to the ethics” was also featured in the article’s title. The article weighs different perspectives on weaponized AI and whether this is the direction the country is headed in the future. Marks notes the parallels with the gun rights issue in the debate over weaponized robots. The issue will inevitably extend to the question of AI deploying firearms, not just Read More ›
Musk Offers Twitter $41 Billion, Exciting Free Speech Advocates
Will Musk succeed in his effort to "unlock" Twitter's free speech potential?News has moved fast since it was revealed last week that Elon Musk purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter. Since then, Musk was offered a seat on Twitter’s board, an offer he at first accepted, and then declined. Now, Musk has upped the ante by offering to buy Twitter for $41 billion. In his letter to the board, Musk referenced his desire to make Twitter “the platform for free speech around the globe,” and stated that he has the ability to “unlock” Twitter’s “extraordinary potential.” Here’s his full letter: Bret TaylorChairman of the Board, I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is Read More ›
Pinterest Bans Climate Change “Misinformation”
Pinterest might be the first company to implement such a strict ban, but what if it's not the last?Last week, Pinterest banned climate change misinformation from its platform, becoming the first major social media company to do so outright. The policy raises free speech concerns. Since not all scientists agree on the nature of climate change, what causes it, and what the solutions are, how is the issue to be discussed if alternate points of view are banned from public platforms? Pinterest is an image-sharing social media site, where users share ideas that they can “pin” to their own boards on everything from recipes to interior design to fashion. On April 6, Pinterest announced their new climate misinformation policy, aimed at “remov[ing] content that may harm the public’s well-being, safety or trust.” As of the policy announcement, any Read More ›
Dorsey Talks Decentralization and Musk Buys Twitter Share
Will this be the upset many free speech advocates hope it could be?Last week, I wrote about the buzz around internet decentralization, especially as there appears to be talk at Twitter of moving in such a direction. The buzz continues, this time with vocal support from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, coinciding with a bold financial move from Elon Musk. On April 2, Dorsey reminisced on Twitter about the early, decentralized days of the Internet, and said that centralization “really damaged the internet. I realize I’m partially to blame, and regret it.” The problems of social media platforms have been made clear in the past few years, specifically when it comes to data privacy and how to handle (or even define) harmful content while also respecting free speech. But there isn’t as much Read More ›