This Ruling Does Not Bode Well for Trump's Attempt To Portray Journalism as Consumer Fraud
On Thursday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that echoed Donald Trump's claims against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer.
Journalism
Federal Prosecutors Flesh Out Their Case Against James Comey. It Still Looks Shaky.
The government posits that the former FBI director tried to conceal his interactions with a friend who was publicly described as "a longtime confidant" and an "unofficial media surrogate."
Jake Tapper on Censorship, Media Failings, and Presidential Power
Jake Tapper examines the growing pressure on the news media to serve political interests, Donald Trump’s attacks on the press and peaceful protesters, as well as the lasting damage Joe Biden may have done to the Democratic Party.
Pentagon's Foolish Press Policy Might Encourage Tougher Journalism
The military establishment’s efforts to quash leaks could encourage them instead.
What John Oliver Gets Wrong About Bari Weiss and CBS News
The default in mainstream media isn't no opinion, it's his opinion.
Video Shows Federal Agents Arresting a Chicago Journalist. They Now Say She Threw Objects at Their Vehicle.
The arrest comes less than a day after a federal judge ordered federal law enforcement to stop impeding reporters and protesters.
Even If Trump's Birthday Letter to Jeffrey Epstein Is 'Fake,' How Is It Defamatory?
The president claims The Wall Street Journal inflicted "billions of dollars" in reputational damage by confirming a well-established relationship.
The New York Times Says the Manhattan Mass Shooter Was 'Committed,' but That's Not True
The same newspaper notes that the killer "obtained a firearm legally," which means he was never "committed" to a mental health institution.
New York's Governor Blames Nevada's 'Weak Gun Laws' for the Manhattan Mass Shooting
Kathy Hochul's focus on "assault weapons" is puzzling, since the perpetrator easily could have killed the same number of people with a gun that did not fall into that politically defined category.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's Meddling in Broadcast Journalism Contradicts His Own Avowed Views
As a minority FCC member during the Bush administration, Carr condemned government interference with newsroom decisions.
The FCC's Paramount/Skydance Decision Aims To Reshape Broadcast Journalism by Bureaucratic Fiat
Chairman Brendan Carr thinks his agency should strive to ensure that news coverage is fair and balanced—a role precluded by the First Amendment.
Did USAID Really Save 90 Million Lives? Not Unless It Raised the Dead
A Lancet study’s inflated numbers are being used to push a partisan narrative, not inform public policy.
Trump, Who Wants To 'Straighten Out the Press,' Sues The Wall Street Journal Over 'Fake' Epstein Letter
Whatever the merits of this particular defamation claim, the president has a long history of abusing the legal system to punish constitutionally protected speech.
Although Meth Is Irresistible, The New York Times Says, Addicts Often Prefer Small Cash Rewards
The success of "contingency management" belies the notion that addiction is an uncontrollable disease caused by a drug's impact on dopamine levels.
The CEO of NPR Made the Best Case for Defunding It
The notion that NPR can somehow become unbiased is about as believable as the IRS sending you a fruit basket to commend you for filing your taxes.
2 New Jersey Journalists Face Criminal Charges for Publishing Information From a Police Blotter
The prosecution, the latest example of local attempts to criminalize news reporting, is blatantly at odds with First Amendment principles.
The Texas Floods Were a Natural Disaster, Not a Policy Disaster
There's no evidence that cuts to the National Weather Service impacted the response to the weekend's tragic flash floods.
By Settling Trump's Laughable Lawsuit Against CBS, Paramount Strikes a Blow at Freedom of the Press
The company's surrender to Trump's extortion vindicates his strategy of using frivolous litigation and his presidential powers to punish constitutionally protected speech.
The First Amendment Protects CNN's Reporting on ICEBlock and Iran
The Justice Department cannot constitutionally prosecute a news outlet for covering the news.
Reason Earns 15 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include a piece on the Dutch "dropping" rite of passage, a documentary exploring citizen journalism and free speech, and a long-form interview with exoneree Amanda Knox.
Trump's Immigrant Removals Aren't Technically Deportations. So What Are They?
Deportation means expelling an alien back to their home country for violating immigration law. Many of the Trump administration's actions don't meet that definition.
Sen. Padilla Forcibly Removed From Kristi Noem's L.A. Press Conference
The California senator was trying to ask about immigration enforcement when federal agents handcuffed and ejected him.
Trump's Threats Against Musk and Newsom Reflect an Authoritarian Intolerance of Dissent
Even if the president was joking in both cases, he already has used his powers to punish people whose views offend him.
Original Sin, the Biden Cover-Up Book, Is Better Late Than Never
Even readers who are profoundly distrustful of Jake Tapper should pick up a copy.
Trump's Actions Contradict His Avowed Commitment to First Amendment Rights
The president has launched a multifaceted crusade against speech that offends him.
Treating Journalism As Consumer Fraud, Trump Claims Coverage of a Presidential Poll Was Not 'News Reporting'
The president's lawyers also conflate fraud with defamation, misconstrue the commercial speech doctrine, and assert that false speech is not constitutionally protected.
On Remand, the 5th Circuit Again Blocks a Lawsuit by a Texas Reporter Arrested for Newsgathering
Even if Laredo cops punished Priscilla Villarreal for constitutionally protected speech, the appeals court says, they would be protected by qualified immunity.
Brown University Targets Student Journalist for Emailing Administrators
Brown is violating its code of conduct, which guarantees community members’ right to petition the university.
Trump's War on the Press
The president is arguing in court that journalism he doesn't like is "election interference" that constitutes consumer fraud.
It's Not Journalists' Job To Protect Government Secrets
With the controversy over the leaked White House group chat, mainstream media have been treating secrecy as a virtue and disclosure as a vice. That’s a dangerous game.
The Atlantic Should Not Find Out About a War Before Congress Does
The White House accidentally leaked military plans in Yemen to a journalist—and demonstrated how unconstitutional U.S. war making has become.
The FCC's Show Trial Against CBS Is a Political Power Play
The commission’s partisan “news distortion” probe is trampling the First Amendment to pressure the press.
Trump Is Targeting Media and Chilling Free Speech
The president campaigned on a promise to defend the First Amendment, but he's now attacking free speech through a variety of disreputable strategies.
Trump Tries To Carve Out a First Amendment Exception for 'Fake News'
The president's portrayal of journalism he does not like as consumer fraud is legally frivolous and blatantly unconstitutional.
CBS Is Wrong About Free Speech in Germany and the Rise of Nazism
Margaret Brennan should immediately Google the Weimar Fallacy.
Trump's White House Says 'Gulf of Mexico' Is Misinformation
Misinformation concept creep is getting out of hand.
Trump Is Flat-Out Lying About the 60 Minutes Interview With Harris
The full transcript shows the president's complaints about the editing of the interview are not just wildly hyperbolic and legally groundless. They are demonstrably false.
USAID Paying for Politico Is a Nontroversy
There are many legitimate criticisms of both USAID and Politico; this is not one of them.
FBI Nominee Kash Patel, Who Vowed To 'Come After' Trump's Enemies, Disclaims 'Retributive Actions'
At his confirmation hearing, the president's pick to run the nation's leading law enforcement agency ran away from his record as a MAGA zealot.
Why Is Paramount So Keen To Settle Trump's Laughable Lawsuit Against CBS?
The company is worried that the president's complaints about a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris could block a pending merger.
Decrying First Amendment Threat, FIRE Will Defend Pollster Whom Trump Sued for 'Consumer Fraud'
The president-elect frivolously claims that J. Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register owe him damages because of an erroneous preelection poll.
Trump Mounts a 'Direct Assault on the First Amendment' by Portraying Journalism As Consumer Fraud
The president-elect's lawsuit against The Des Moines Register is a patently frivolous and constitutionally dubious attempt to intimidate the press.
CNN Presented a Syrian Jailer as a Torture Survivor
The fiasco around the “Syrian prisoner” filmed by CNN demonstrates that sometimes institutions aren’t the best judges of misinformation.
Given George Stephanopoulos' Carelessness, ABC's Defamation Settlement With Trump Seems Prudent
The host of This Week repeatedly and inaccurately asserted that Trump had been "found liable for rape."
El Salvador's New Cybersecurity Laws Raise Concerns Over Media Freedom
Proponents call it modernization, but watchdogs see a path to censorship.
