News response: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/us/politics/trump-cnn-first-amendment.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FFirst%20Amendment%20(US%20Constitution)&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection Freedom of speech and freedom of press typically go hand in hand, but for Trump they often clash. Case in point, Trump recently called CNN out via Twitter (not for the first time, of course). On November 25 he Tweeted: “@FoxNews is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN,... Continue Reading →

It’s impossible to have an internet connection and not have heard about the slew of sexual harassment allegations against Louis C.K., which he has admitted to. And of course, the laundry list of other influencers, from Harvey Weinstein, to Ed Westwick, to Kevin Spacey, to Terry Richardson. And while all of them have been unsettling,... Continue Reading →

There’s nothing controversial about cake, right? Wrong. I almost wrote about Richard Spencer again, but then came across this article on the polemical potential of everyone’s favorite birthday confection. Except the cake in question this time is actually for a wedding, and is contentious enough to fuel a Supreme Court case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado... Continue Reading →

News reflection: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/15/business/media/trump-twitter-bots.html Though The New York Times published this article (“A Bot that Makes Trump Tweets Presidential”) on October 15, I feel like it is just as relevant this week as any week in which Donald Trump is a) the president and b) owner of a Twitter account. The Times article calls attention to two... Continue Reading →

Article link: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/university-of-cincinnati-allows-richard-spencer-speech Despite what Trump may propagate, the First Amendment is for everyone (thank you, Fourteenth Amendment). So those four freedoms —religion, assembly, press, and speech— all Americans can enjoy those, including white nationalists like Richard Spencer. Spencer has made headlines for his charming (despicable) ideas such as women not being worthy of the... Continue Reading →

Since the drafters of the constitution did not define free speech, it is impossible for us to know what precisely they meant when they said “congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech.” However, even if we could call up James Madison and ask him precisely what he meant, society has changed so much... Continue Reading →