This week, there’s been a lot of talk in the media about whistleblowers. Should they be identified? Should they be punished for their actions?  The recent whistleblower —  having leaked a phone transcript that reveals information about the president’s shady business with Ukraine — has been the topic of conversation among senators, congressmen and the... Continue Reading →

One of the most famous whistleblowers in American history is Edward Snowden, a man who revealed just how much information the government is collecting on us. While he is off hiding from the U.S. government in Russia, we citizens have to deal with the implications of the information he revealed. When Snowden revealed his findings... Continue Reading →

Just within three decades, not only has our society’s means of gathering, sharing, and storing information changed but so has our relationship to information.  Before the internet, people had to search for information by going to places like libraries for books. You need to learn some basic facts about Emperor Penguins? The average height of males... Continue Reading →

A lawyer at the University of North Texas, Caitlin Sewell, resigned after giving a speech about the First Amendment. During this event, she was supposed to be giving the students an understanding of civil discourse and the type of language protected under the First Amendment. She proceeds to warn everyone that what she is going... Continue Reading →

Have you ever bought vegan “Cheez” or “Chik’n”? Or, perhaps, "Just Like Parmesan… plant based cheese"? The reason why these pseudonyms for vegan products exist is because of the FDA. The FDA regulates what can and can’t be identified as certain foods, and since technically vegan cheese alternative isn’t actually cheese, it cannot be sold... Continue Reading →

Student journalists at Central Washington University are speaking out after months of interference from the university's administration. The university's student-run newspaper and television station have been trying to prepare for the real world of journalism, but the university has forced them to change the way they go about reporting. To interview any employee, faculty or... Continue Reading →

In his 2017 New York Times Article about the revival of the Wikimedia v. NSA case, Charlie Savage raises a very important question: How do we apply old legal concepts (like the First and Fourth Amendments) to 21st century communications technology?  Maybe we don’t. In the article, Savage outlines the details of the case, explaining... Continue Reading →

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, day after day articles about “fake news”, “election interference”, and the public messages of political leaders on various social media platforms make “front screen news.”  Facebook and Twitter typically receive the most credit for their close association to the prevalence and rampant spread of mis- and dis-... Continue Reading →

Last Wednesday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter was going to stop running all political advertisements. “This isn’t about free expression. This is about paying for reach. And paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle. It’s worth stepping back in... Continue Reading →