Monthly Archives: May 2009

A Conversation with Toni Morrison

The Inaugural Event of the Free Speech Leadership Council of the National Coalition Against Censorship Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 6:30 to 8:30 PM Hosted by Jane Friedman Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, Toni Morrison is the author … Continue reading

Posted in Sarah Falcon: Author | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tempest in a teapot: Really, is Miss California being punished for her honest, free speech?

Antonio Finns in the Sun-Sentinel lauds Miss California Carrie Prejean for “defend[ing] free speech rights just beautifully.” In the Miss America competition,  she showed her support for “opposite” marriage (which we understand as “straight marriage”) and not gay marriage.  She … Continue reading

Posted in Sarah Falcon: Author | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Teen sex! No fun with iPhone! Holocaust denying! Cyber bullying!

It’s five, and my Firefox windows is a few tabs away from crashing. Let’s go through ’em, shall we? Bristol Palin is now a celebrity spokesperson for the teen pregnancy prevention run by the Candies Foundation. You may have heard … Continue reading

Posted in Sarah Falcon: Author | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Art becomes a peep show at Shasta College

Debbie Smith’s painting, “See It Go” was selected for inclusion in the year end student art show at Shasta Community College in Redding, CA. Styled on the mid-20th century-era “Dick and Jane” books, it depicts two children playing outdoors and … Continue reading

Posted in Svetlana Mintcheva: Author | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Update on “The Story of Stuff” – it’s “spreading and spreading”

We reported in February about a teacher who was punished for violating the school’s academic freedom policy by showing two videos, including The Story of Stuff. Yesterday, the New York Times reported that the video “has become a sleeper hit … Continue reading

Posted in Sarah Falcon: Author | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What it means: Nine Inch Nails and the iPhone application*: Annotated edition (*4+)

I should have put money on it – or at least Twittered – my Monday prediction that Apple would re-allow the new Nine Inch Nails application into the iPhone Store. The Apple store pulled the application because the application – … Continue reading

Posted in Sarah Falcon: Author | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Calling for a book burning in West Bend, Wisconsin

We’ve been covering the challenges to several books in West Bend, Wisconsin, including Geography Club and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Meanwhile, critics there recently called for restrictions on a third book, Baby Be Bop by Francesca Lia Block. … Continue reading

Posted in Jamie Chosak: Author | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fleeting Expletives and the 9-Second Nipple: The Supreme Court Defers to the FCC’s Decision Making in FCC v. Fox & FCC v. CBS

On Tuesday April 28, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in the matter of FCC v. Fox Television Stations, which on its face appears to be hostile to free speech interests.

In a 5-4 decision, the Court sided with the FCC, finding that the agency had not been arbitrary or capricious in its sanctioning of Fox Television Stations, Inc. over two instances of live broadcasts where the F- and S- words were uttered. The FCC had determined that these instances of “fleeting expletives” were indecent, but not protected by the First Amendment— despite a long standing tradition of fleeting instances of indecent content being immune from FCC sanctions.

Every cloud has its silver lining, however. This case’s silver lining is that it will ultimately be fantastic for free expression, in that Justice Antonin Scalia, in writing for the majority, declined to make a decision regarding the constitutionality of the FCC’s new policy regarding fleeting expletives, instead sending the case back to the lower court for further deliberation on this issue. Continue reading

Posted in Jennifer Liebman: Author | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment