The state of the First Amendment is perpetually in flux and it’s walking on shaky ground going into 2019. Trump Administration tariffs on imported Canadian newsprint in 2018 kicked off a series of layoffs at publications, reduced printing frequencies and forced closure of several smaller publications. The U.S. International Trade Commission overturned the tariffs this [...]
Jim Acosta isn't the first and surely won't be the last reporter President Trump insults as a “rude, terrible person,” at a press conference, but this time the President's disdain for the media reached a new low. After a heated exchange, the White House pulled Acosta's press pass, claiming that he “put hands” on the [...]
First Amendment freedom of the press and freedom of speech are not universal. The more we learn about the disappearance of The Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, the more we’re reminded of that. Khashoggi is not a United States citizen, though he was a resident [...]
The new NFL rule on kneeling allows players to protest the national anthem… just not on the field. They can remain in the locker room for the song, but if players insist (per owners’ rules) on taking a knee during the national anthem, their team will be fined. On the surface this might seem like [...]
Last June the Supreme Court’s unanimous answer was NO. A band named “The Slants” was denied government trademarking because the name could be seen as demeaning to Asian Americans. They felt trademark denial based on their name violated their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The Supreme Court ruled that viewpoint discrimination - even [...]
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case from Minnesota man Andrew Cilek. Cilek was temporarily prevented from voting in 2010 because his “Please I.D. Me” pin - as well as his shirt and other buttons - violated the state’s policy, which forbids political wear from polling places. This is touted as an effort to [...]
Under the Trump administration, hostility towards journalists and the media in America is at an all-time high. Up to this point, accusations of fake news and bias have mostly rolled off the backs of seasoned journalists, but these attacks have become physical with more serious implications. Violence has become an accepted response to questions about [...]
Nationwide "March For Truth" protests were coordinated across dozens of cities this past Saturday (June 3). The protests were “calling for an impartial investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election,” according to CNN. This demand for transparency reminds us that there is power in demonstrations that exercise freedoms of speech and assembly. [...]
The IWPA is proud to announce the launch of a new concept. What is more important to communicators than our fundamental freedoms of speech and press? Do you have a story to tell? Have your First Amendment rights ever been infringed? Bring a friend for snacks, drinks, fun, and discussion so that we may all [...]
I’ve been the wife of a combat veteran for the past 14 years. I met my husband back in 1994, just months after he was medically retired from the Army, and about two-and-a-half years after fighting in the first Gulf War. Just mere minutes into our first conversation where we met at a health club, [...]
