DARE: Fox News Fights Back On Lawsuit Filed Over Seth Rich Story
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Fox News continues to defend the long-debunked story on the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich, seeking to have the defamation lawsuit filed against it dismissed or moved to arbitration. Facebook bans posts by or praising a Rohingya insurgent group as violence toward the community in Myanmar continues. Ahead of “Free Speech Week” at UC Berkeley, the New York Times seeks comments from students, faculty, and alumni on their views and experiences of free speech on college campuses. –Anoosh Gasparian, External Relations Coordinator
The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today
U.S.
Fox News Fights Back On Lawsuit Filed Over Seth Rich Story
Fox is seeking to scuttle a lawsuit filed over a retracted story about the late Seth Rich by convincing a judge that the key source in the story should be treated as an employee. Fox insists that the source, Rod Wheeler, a paid commentator on the network since 2005, should be subject to binding arbitration.
NPR
U.C. Berkeley Students: What Does Free Speech Mean to You?
The debate over free speech on campus has been reignited ahead of “Free Speech Week,” a four-day event organized by the Berkeley Patriot, a conservative student publication, that includes a lineup of controversial speakers. Times reporters would like to hear from students and faculty at UC Berkeley.
NEW YORK TIMES
Democratic lawmakers arrested outside Trump Tower
Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), and Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) were among at least 10 people arrested outside Trump Tower in New York as part of a protest of the President’s decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants.
WASHINGTON POST
This New G.O.P. Publication Looks a Lot Like a News Website
It may look and feel like a standard conservative news source—with the headlines, name, and features to match—but The Free Telegraph is anything but. It’s actually a publication funded by the Republican Governors Association.
NEW YORK TIMES
Global
Facebook bans Rohingya group’s posts as minority faces ‘ethnic cleansing’
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) was placed on Facebook’s “dangerous organization” list, Facebook confirmed. The company’s community standards ban posts by or in support of organizations it defines as groups engaged in terrorism, organized violence or crime, mass murder, or organized hate.
THE GUARDIAN
Tanzania shuts down another ‘days numbered’ newspaper
Tanzania’s government has closed a critical newspaper for the second time in three months, banning the weekly MwanaHalisi for two years after accusing it of “unethical reporting” and inciting violence.
REUTERS
Imprisoned Ukrainian Journalist Sends Letter From Separatist Jail
Stanislav Aseev, a Ukrainian journalist imprisoned by the Russia-backed separatists controlling Ukraine’s Donetsk region, managed to pass a letter to his mother through his lawyer. According to the note, the journalist is in good physical and mental health, and has started writing a book while in captivity.
HROMADSKE INTERNATIONAL
Artist unveils design of Parliament Square suffragette statue
“We want this statue to depict the strength and determination of the women who dedicated their lives to the fight for women’s suffrage and to inspire many generations to come,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said of the first statue of a woman subject in the square.
THE GUARDIAN
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