Author: Gene Policinski

2020: The year to support, defend – and trust – our free press

In 2020, in order to defend and support that core freedom, we will need to confront in real ways the storm of disinformation, news manipulation and dwindling ranks of journalism that’s been building for nearly a decade.
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We’re divided in new ways over our core First Amendment freedoms

Recap the controversial and multi-faceted First Amendment issues of 2019, from a Black Lives Matter activist lawsuit, the Ukraine-Biden investigation controversy, regulatory threats over political advertising and beyond.
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No apology needed for good journalism – even when you don’t like it

Harvard’s student government voted to support a petition condemning their student newspaper, for the factual reporting of protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement some weeks ago.
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From NBA to Trump to our ears and eyes, how free speech works

Other nations may have rules or laws that in some fashion say they protect or really do protect freedom of speech, but none has quite the same strong constitutional protection that we have in the U.S.
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First Amendment Freedoms Not Just ‘Office Hours’ or When Convenient

Our First Amendment freedoms don’t keep office hours.
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First Amendment Protections Resilient for Free Speech, Free Press

Any attempts to limit First Amendment rights deserve scrutiny, but clearly run against the core values held by sizeable majorities in an era when such majorities rarely exist.
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Punishing Congress Members for Free Speech Violates First Amendment

The essence of our First Amendment freedoms is the government may not inhibit or punish us for our speech, regardless of the content of that speech.
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Let’s Get ‘Mad as Hell’ About the Vital Information We Won’t Get to See

A democratic republic based in the ultimate authority of an informed electorate requires the highest degree of government transparency.
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We Once Went “MAD” for the Magazine — and It Was Fun and Funny

The world is soon going to be a little bit less MAD — and the poorer for it.
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An Anything Goes Approach to Trademarks: The FUCT Clothing Line

Lack of a trademark does not stop clothing manufacturers from using a brand name such as “FUCT,” but does deny certain benefits, such as protection from imitators.
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