Google announces policies aimed at curbing extremist videos on YouTube. NBC segment on Alex Jones and his dangerous lies airs, seemingly much toughened by the edits of public opinion. Stage manager announces “Pick up at ‘liberty and freedom,”’ after two pro-Trump protesters disrupt Public Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” -Dru Menaker, Chief Operating Officer

 

DARE: Daily Alert on Rights and Expression

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

YouTube Sets New Policies to Curb Extremist Videos
YouTube came under fire this year when The Times of London and other news outlets found examples of brands that inadvertently funded extremist groups through automated advertising. Google, YouTube’s parent company, announced a set of policies aimed at curbing extremist videos on the platform, and said it would rely on the specialized knowledge of groups with experts on issues like hate speech, self-harm and terrorism.
NEW YORK TIMES

Facing Alex Jones, NBC’s Megyn Kelly manages to avoid a worst-case outcome
Megyn Kelly’s interview Sunday night with the bellicose conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was certainly dreaded, but, in execution, it was far from dreadful. She challenged Jones, whose Infowars radio show and multimedia platform draw millions of followers, on some of his wildest and most dangerous assertions, including his statements that the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., was an elaborate hoax.
THE WASHINGTON POST

Two Protesters Disrupt ‘Julius Caesar’ in Central Park
A production of “Julius Caesar” in Central Park was disrupted on Friday evening by two protesters. A woman who later identified herself on social media as Laura Loomer jumped onto the stage just after the assassination of Caesar and began shouting, “Stop the normalization of political violence against the right,” and, “This is violence against Donald Trump.” Ms. Loomer declined requests by the police to step away from the structure; she was then arrested.
NEW YORK TIMES

A Newsroom and a Lifeline: Univision’s Urgent Sense of Purpose
Earlier this year, a rumor rippled through the large Hispanic community in northeast Miami: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were hauling undocumented immigrants off to detention centers in buses. Univision is aggressively tracking whether Mr. Trump makes good on his campaign vow to conduct the largest mass expulsion of modern times. This role can lead to charges that Univision is more an activist organization than a journalistic one, which the newsroom at Univision rejects.
NEW YORK TIMES

 
Global

Jailed for years for Thai king insult
The United Nations has called on Thailand to amend the harsh law against insulting the monarchy. Since the military coup in 2014, the number of people investigated for violating the lese-majeste law has risen to more than double the number investigated in the previous 12 years. The BBC spoke to the mother of Sasiwimon, who was jailed for 28 years after being found guilty of posting anti-monarchy content on Facebook, and was reported to the police by another Facebook user.
BBC NEWS

Using Texts as Lures, Government Spyware Targets Mexican Activists and Their Families
Mexico’s most prominent human rights lawyers, journalists and anti-corruption activists have been targeted by advanced spyware sold to the Mexican government on the condition that it be used only to investigate criminals and terrorists. The deployment of sophisticated cyberweaponry against citizens is a snapshot of the struggle for Mexico itself, raising profound legal and ethical questions for a government already facing severe criticism for its human rights record.
NEW YORK TIMES

Tanzania has banned a newspaper for two years as it tightens its media clampdown
The ban of a weekly newspaper in Tanzania has heightened concerns among observers that the government of president John Magufuli is intent on exerting pressure on journalists and stifling freedom of expression. In Nov. 2016, Magufuli signed the Media Services Bill into law, replacing independent media oversight mechanisms with a government-controlled one, and requiring all journalists to get accreditation from a government-appointed board.
QUARTZ

Venezuela’s Maduro slams Twitter after accounts blocked
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday said Twitter was an “expression of fascism” after accounts linked to his government were suspended, accusing the U.S. company of persecuting his followers. Twitter’s guidelines say accounts can be suspended for abusive behavior, security or spam, among other reasons. Hundreds of opposition activists held prayer services in Caracas and other cities to oppose Maduro’s plan to rewrite the constitution, while the government held rallies in several regions to support the initiative.
REUTERS

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