On their heels / Book 'em / En garde

On their heels. Only two months into President Trump’s second term, the news industry is being attacked from all directions in a concerted effort to discredit and obstruct journalism.■ The Trump administration has been blocked from firing Voice of America staff by a federal judge.■ A Republican...

Continue reading →

Speechless / Listen up / Gut punch

Speechless. Following the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, First Amendment advocates agree that they have never seen freedom of speech under attack as it has been during the first months of President Donald Trump’s second term.■ Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the notion that the detainment of former...

Continue reading →

How far? / Saving Sullivan / Anchors away

How far? President Donald Trump’s sweeping attack on freedom of expression threatens the First Amendment rights of private groups and individuals, The Washington Post reported.■ Owner Jeff Bezos reportedly told staff that The Washington Post would no longer publish opinion pieces that failed to...

Continue reading →

UnPresidented / Bake free? / Anti- matter

UnPresidented. Free-speech group FIRE acknowledged it plans to be busy over the next four years working to defend against the unprecedented actions, rhetoric, and “unrelenting attacks” on the First Amendment.■ Longtime First Amendment lawyer James Goodale, in a Newsweek interview, called on the press...

Continue reading →

Eviction swap / Side effect / Indie power

Eviction swap. At President Donald Trump’s request, the Pentagon removed four mainstream news organizations from its dedicated media office spaces.■ Trump continued to slam news outlets on social media as they struggle with lawsuits and layoffs.■ Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised Elon Musk’s X platform...

Continue reading →

Do without? / Prep steps / Hard-pressed

Do without? TikTok’s cultural footprint in the United States is huge but will anyone miss it if it goes away?■ How did President Donald Trump go from condemning TikTok to becoming its savior?■ Mark Zuckerberg is ready to remake Meta for the new Trump era by going “back to” the future.■ In a parting...

Continue reading →

Ban stand / Media blitzkrieg / Low anxiety

Ban stand. So, what happens if the United States bans TikTok? The Independent has provided some scenarios.■ In a legal filing, the Justice Department argued that the U.S. TikTok law does not violate First Amendment rights.■ Free-speech advocates let the U.S. Supreme Court know that the TikTok law would...

Continue reading →

TikTok clocked / Free wave / Silent night

TikTok clocked. A U.S. ban on TikTok could happen next month after a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring the social media platform to break ties with China-based parent company ByteDance.■ Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission poses a threat to free speech, a...

Continue reading →

Feeling blue / Maybe later /'Kill' bill

Feeling blue. In a post-election uptick, millions of disgruntled X users, including journalists and left-leaning politicians, have flocked to Bluesky, a social media platform that resembles the original Twitter service. Among new content providers: The Free Speech Center.■ A fifth of Americans get their...

Continue reading →

Legal age / Alarm set / 'Garbage' strike

Legal age. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case involving age verification on websites providing material potentially harmful to minors.■ As exposure to social media has shown to be isolating for some young people, Middle Tennessee State University professor and dean John R. Vile does...

Continue reading →