31 May 2013 | In the News
INDEX REPORT
Taking the offensive – defending artistic freedom of expression in the UK
Report Contents: Summary | Introduction | What is artistic freedom of expression? | What are the limits to freedom of expression? | Institutional self-censorship | Reinforcing support for artistic freedom of expression | Conclusion | Appendix I: Audience Feedback and Statistics | Appendix II: Conference Programme | Appendix III: Cases of Censored Artwork | Artist Videos | Full report in PDF
Self-censorship stifling UK artistic expression
Widespread self-censorship and fear of causing offence is suppressing creativity and ideas in the United Kingdom, according to a report published by Index on Censorship. (Index on Censorship)
GLOBAL
Facebook and the outer limits of free speech
The great thing about the Web is that it has given the opportunity to billions of people, who would otherwise never have had a chance to publish, to express their most urgent thoughts with an Internet connection and a few finger-flicks. (Reuters)
ADL’s Foxman Analyzes Intersection of Online Hate and Free Speech in New Book
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), on June 4 is releasing his new book VIRAL HATE: Containing Its Spread on the Internet, co-written with attorney Christopher Wolf, a pioneer in Internet law. (The Algemeiner)
AUSTRALIA
Cash for no comment tramples free speech
Bend over and take your cuts. The headmaster is dishing out the cane to a variety of backsides, most of whom don’t deserve any punishment at all. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
BRAZIL
Brazilian court gags protester in latest social media ruling
A judge from the Brazilian state of São Paulo has barred a protester from an allegedly illegal construction site or even posting about it on Facebook. It’s the latest in a string of rulings targeting social media in the country. Rafael Spuldar reports (Index on Censorship)
CANADA
Rob Ford, Toronto Star, And Libel Chill: How Gawker Got The Crack-Smoking Scoop
If a newspaper isn’t willing to deliver news of public interest to its readers, it’s only a matter of time before someone else will step in. The Toronto Star learned that lesson the hard way earlier this month when Gawker, a New York-based gossip blog, scooped the century-old newspaper by announcing Toronto Mayor “Rob Ford Smokes Crack Cocaine” in a blog post that has since been viewed by almost 1 million people. (International Business Times)
IRAN
US eases export restrictions in bid to aid free speech
The United States has lifted a ban on sales of communications equipment to Iranians and opened access to internet services and social media, aiming to help the Iranian people circumvent tough government controls. (The Telegraph)
SINGAPORE
Singapore: Regulation or censorship?
Singaporean journalists and bloggers are criticising a new media regulation that they believe will stifle independent news and information about the country. (Al Jazeera)
TUNISIA
Tunisia: Amend Counterterrorism Law – Reforms Necessary to Protect Fundamental Rights
Tunisian legislators should revise the 2003 counterterrorism law, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the National Constituent Assembly. The 2003 law uses an overly broad definition of terrorism and incitement to terrorism and undermines the right to an effective defense. Prosecutors should not charge anyone under the law until it is amended in line with Tunisia’s human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said. (All Africa)
Tunisia topless protester faces new charges
A Tunisian judge on Thursday announced fresh charges against a young Tunisian woman with the topless protest group Femen, as three Europeans began a second night in custody after baring their breasts. (AFP)
UNITED KINGDOM
Artists afraid of losing sponsors ‘are self-censoring,’ says Sir Nicholas Serota
The director of Tate Galleries warns of influence of special interests as study reveals limit to creative freedom. (The Independent)
Censorship and the arts: There’s a web of challenges to free expression
Many acknowledge that fear of causing offence feeds self-censorship; others stress that over-protectiveness denies the audience the opportunity to decide for itself. (The Independent)
Theresa May betrays our values by banning extremists from the airwaves
Theresa May’s proposals to ban radical preachers from the airwaves and block extremist websites are illiberal, impractical and may breach the UK’s commitment to human rights, Michael Harris writes. (Index on Censorship)
Snooper’s charter is threat to internet freedom, warn web five in letter to May
Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo! and Twitter dismiss email tracking as too costly and ‘highly contentious’. (The Guardian)
UNITED STATES
Did Public Television Commit Self-Censorship to Appease Billionaire Funder David Koch?
Filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal say plans for their new documentary to air on public television have been quashed after billionaire Republican David Koch complained about the PBS broadcast of another film critical of him, “Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream,” by acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibney. Lessin and Deal were in talks to broadcast their film, “Citizen Koch,” on PBS until their agreement with the Independent Television Service fell through. (Democracy Now)
Dark money is not free speech
Let’s be clear. Gov. Rick Perry’s veto of a “dark money” bill is not about free speech, as he claims.
It’s about dirty politics and secret donors. The veto is support for old-school cronyism. (San Antonion Express-News)
ZIMBABWE
Baba Jukwa manifests freedom of speech
THE Baba Jukwa social media phenomenon — which has taken Zimbabwe by storm as the anonymous writer nears 100 000 likes on Facebook — needs to be evaluated in the context of free speech and free flow of information in a democratising society such as Zimbabwe, as it gives a critical dimension into resistance struggles that do not necessarily involve “big men” but “small men” agency which has sent shock waves across the entire authoritarian system while ruffling feathers of the powers that be. (Zimbabwe Independent)
30 May 2013 | In the News
Time is running out
Think you have what it takes to be published by Index on Censorship? Here’s your chance to find out. Enter our blogging contest for a chance to win £100. More >>>
Index on Censorship Events
Caught in the web: how free are we online? June 10, 2013
The internet: free open space, wild wild west, or totalitarian state? However you view the web, in today’s world it is bringing both opportunities and threats for free expression. More >>>
GLOBAL
Blogs still aid global freedom of expression
While blogging has existed for more than a decade, WordPress, the software that runs millions of blogs and websites, celebrated its 10th anniversary. The free service has made it simple for anyone to share their views. (DW)
AUSTRALIA
Freedom of speech our basic right
SINCE October last year, I have been regularly warned that “dissent” against the views and interests of the State Government would jeopardise the riverfront funding, create dangerous “unintended consequences” in vaguely-defined ways, and even cause the government to appoint an administrator to strip council of legal and administrative powers. (Sunraysia Daily)
More Australian government departments admit censoring websites
A national security agency has used federal powers to block Australian access to websites, in the latest development surrounding revived fears of internet censorship. (Financial Review)
BRAZIL
Brazilian court gags protester in latest social media ruling
A judge from the Brazilian state of São Paulo has barred a protester from an allegedly illegal construction site or even posting about it on Facebook. It’s the latest in a string of rulings targeting social media in the country. (Index on Censorship)
IRAN
As Iran’s Presidential Election Approaches, Iranian Journalists Live In Fear
As Iran’s June presidential election approaches, Iranian authorities, as a precautionary measure, have intensified their crackdown on journalists. (International Business Times)
NORWAY
Norwegian Newspaper Dagbladet Sparks Outrage with ‘Blood Libel’ Cartoon
Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, has sparked outrage after publishing a cartoon “blood libel” Tuesday. Norway’s third largest newspaper, published the cartoon, in which a modestly dressed woman can be seen holding a blood soaked book and telling law enforcement officers: “Mistreating? No this is tradition, an important part of our belief”! (The Algemeiner)
PAKISTAN
Promoting culture: Artists want clear policy, freedom of expression
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has won the elections and now people are wondering whether or not they will deliver on all that they promised in their manifesto and how. (The Express Tribune)
RUSSIA
Economist Sergei Guriev flees Russia
Sergei Guriev leaves after being questioned by state investigators amid clampdown on groups critical of Vladimir Putin.
(The Guardian)
UNITED KINGDOM
Index responds to Theresa May comments
Theresa May’s comments on the Andrew Marr Show have lead to a round of speculation around the actions that the Home Secretary will take in the wake of Woolwich, especially in regard to the shelved Communications Data Bill. (Index on Censorship)
UNITED STATES
Iowa Community College to Pay $14,000 to Settle Free Speech Lawsuit
An Iowa community college will pay nearly $14,000 to settle a free-speech lawsuit filed by a student who was barred from distributing fliers criticizing a conference on gay youth. (KCRG.com)
Conservative Media Predicted Obama’s First-Amendment Scandals
The Obama administration’s free-speech scandals of today were repeatedly and accurately predicted by conservative pundits during the 2008 election. Obama’s first presidential campaign launched a series of novel and troubling assaults on its critics, leading many conservatives to warn that both the press and political speech would come under attack should Obama be elected president. Some of the predictions about Obama made by conservative writers in 2008 seem uncannily on-the-mark today. (National Review Online)
How Did Facebook Let Rape Speech Go Unpoliced for So Long?
As of today, Facebook officially no longer allows the pages “Violently Raping Your Friend Just for Laughs” and “Kicking your Girlfriend in the Fanny because she won’t make you a Sandwich” to exist on its social network, and — what do you know? — it only took a well publicized media campaign and angry advertisers to do it. In a message to its users, Facebook has outlined a new policy for dealing with violent and hateful speech to better deal with — though, not outright ban — this kind of “distasteful humor,” which, of course, begs the question: How come Facebook wasn’t doing anything about this in the first place? (The Atlantic)
School Rules and a Twitter “Social Media Riot” or Student Free Speech?
A graduating high school senior finished a 3-day suspension on Wednesday for creating a Twitter hashtag about a budget controversy, but the upstate New York case continues to play out in social media. (Huffington Post)
Colorado county limits free speech to a remote, tiny area around its buildings
With much of Colorado embroiled in a debate about the Second Amendment, one county has decided to ruffle feathers over the First. (The Daily Caller)
The Kochs’ expansive power: PBS donations, censorship, bidding for the Tribune Company
When only six corporations own all of the media in America, who controls the narrative? Are we even a part of the conversation? Now the only bastion of “public programming,” Public Broadcasting Service, looks like it is not so independent of corporate control after all. Big money is also trying to get their corrupt paws on the Tribune Company but those who want to protect a free press are fighting to stop it. (All Voices)
LePage says Medicaid expansion pressure, Democrats’ ‘censorship’ starts in Washington
Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday railed against an expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Maine, calling it a disturbing national trend of damaging federal mandates. LePage also linked what he called censorship he has experienced in the past two weeks to a pattern of the same at the national level, suggesting that citizens go home and arm themselves if it continues. (Bangor Daily News)
Comcast and Verizon’s Phony Free-Speech Claim
Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit wrote this week that the First Amendment shields Comcast Corp. from Congress’s authority to ensure the free flow of information across the basic network connections it provides. (Bloomberg)
29 May 2013 | In the News
Time is running out
Think you have what it takes to be published by Index on Censorship? Here’s your chance to find out. Enter our blogging contest for a chance to win £100. More >>>
Index on Censorship Events
Caught in the web: how free are we online? June 10, 2013
The internet: free open space, wild wild west, or totalitarian state? However you view the web, in today’s world it is bringing both opportunities and threats for free expression. More >>>
AUSTRALIA
ANU censorship fans the flames of Islamophobia
The Australian National University’s decision to censor an infographic satirising Islam in an online edition of Woroni (the ANU’s newspaper) has had the inadvertent effect of promoting more Islamophobia than the image itself. (Crikey)
CHINA
Beating the Censorship of China’s Great Firewall with Raspberry Pi
Chinese internet censorship can be a pain in the ass. While it’s easy enough to circumvent with a good VPN, it’s tough to bring your VPN with you wherever you go; even if you install its client on all your own devices you won’t have it at friends houses or on public computers, and you’ve got to open the client and connect on each device separately. (Tech in Asia)
EGYPT
Egyptian teacher faces jail for allegedly insulting Muhammad
An Egyptian Christian primary school teacher has gone into hiding after pupils accused her of blasphemy. Shahira Amin reports. (Index on Censorship)
TURKEY
Fazil Say Speaks Out After Sentencing, Worries About Freedom Of Speech In Turkey
The world-renowned Turkish pianist, Fazil Say, who was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence in April for insulting Islam in a series of tweets, is still talking out. (International Business Times)
UGANDA
Police close Uganda media outlets
Journalists and activists in Uganda are standing up against a government they accuse of preventing free speech. Two newspaper offices are being occupied by police, a week after they were shut down. Radio stations have also been taken off the air. Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb reports from Kampala. (Al Jazeera)
UNITED KINGDOM
Difficult balance between free speech and stopping extremists, says Cable
Following calls to tackle hate speech at universities, Business Secretary Vince Cable said there was a “very difficult balance to strike” between protecting free speech and stopping extremists inciting violence. (ITV)
Censorship and over-simplification: the problems of the Lose the Lads’ Mags campaign
The potential censorship ramifications of the campaign are huge, and it also misses the opportunity to create productive dialogue around gender and desire, argues Nichi Hodgson.
(New Statesman)
One application made to Parades Commission for G8 protest march
JUST one application has been to the Parades Commission for a protest march against the G8 summit in Fermanagh next month. (News Letter)
Allan Massie: Free speech cannot become poison
With every opinion comes responsibility, talk of radical imams and attacking mosques demands that we police ourselves, writes Allan Massie. There is a problem about free speech. People demand it for themselves and for those with whom they agree, but many would deny it to those whose opinions offend them. (Scotsman)
UNITED STATES
Governor Rick Perry Vetoes Texas S.B. 346
Texas Governor Rick Perry heard conservatives’ concerns loud and clear and has vetoed Texas S.B. 346, the bill sponsored by Texas Republican State Senator Kel Seliger of Amarillo that, had Perry allowed it to become law, would have created the kind of intrusive campaign disclosure requirements in Texas that establishment free speech opponents in Congress could only dream of. (ConservativeHQ.com)
Groups call US Justice Department actions ‘appalling’
A group of organisations sent a letter on 24 May to US Attorney General Eric Holder demanding a full and transparent report on the Department of Justice’s secret investigations into journalists and whistleblowers.
(Index on Censorship)
Does Freedom of Speech Conflict with Freedom of Religion?
This is a provocative question, of course, or at least it is seemingly everywhere in the world but the United States. In just the last three years, the Supreme Court has protected highly offensive funeral protests, violent video games, animal “crush” videos, and a host of other types of expression. (CATO Institute)
Student group: Sexual-harassment guideline threatens free speech
A national student organization says a new federal guideline aimed at preventing sexual harassment threatens free speech, a claim the federal Department of Education rejects. (Sentinel and Enterprise)
Is the Supreme Court Giving Corporations More Free-Speech Rights Than the Rest Of Us?
Deceptively straightforward, the First Amendment’s declaration that “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech” has long frustrated judicial efforts to balance civil liberty and social well-being. Further complicating matters, the U.S. Supreme Court routinely shifts its approach to free expression with the ideology of its membership. (Policy Mic)
Resident says ban on his ‘bullet vote’ sign violates his freedom of speech
A Rhode Island man is irate with town officials after he says town police officers tore his campaign signs off telephone poles but left other illegal signs up. (The Valley Breeze)
VENEZUELA
Opposition rejects censorship six years after the closure of RCTV
Representatives of different Venezuelan opposition parties expressed on Monday their concern about the escalation of censorship and persecution against the media by the Venezuelan Government. The statements came against the backdrop of the sixth anniversary of the shut down of private TV network RCTV. (El Universal)
28 May 2013 | In the News
AUSTRALIA
Photographers withdraw from Vivid over censorship claims
Two international photographers have withdrawn their works from an exhibition in Sydney in protest over what one has described as censorship. (ABC News)
AZERBAIJAN
In Azerbaijan, authorities use ‘Harlem Shake’ to silence activist
The recent arrest of Ilkin Rustamzadeh highlights how Azerbaijan’s authorities use trumped up charges to silence messages they are not comfortable with, blogger Ali Novruzov writes from Baku. (Index on Censorship)
CHINA
´Ai Weiwei´s work embodies freedom of speech´
The popularity of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei in the Netherlands is largely fueled by the Dutch love of art that hovers on the edge of acceptability. This commitment to pushing the boundaries of freedom of expression is evident in the exhibition FUCK OFF 2 which he’s curated and which opens at the Groninger Museum on Sunday. (Radio Netherlands Worldwide)
ISRAEL
Al-Jazeera draws fire over self-censorship
The Qatar-based al-Jazeera network has been criticized over its decision to remove a controversial article posted on its website amid claims the story was “anti-Jewish” in a seemingly self-censoring act. (YNet.com)
RUSSIA
Interpol Rebuffs Russia in Its Hunt for a Kremlin Critic
Interpol has rejected a Russian request for a worldwide police hunt for William F. Browder, a British investment banker and a Kremlin nemesis who has made no secret of his whereabouts or of his battle against the government of President Vladimir V. Putin over accusations of human rights abuses. (New York Times)
Russia: Gay Rights Activists Arrested At Rally
Dozens of activists at a gay pride march in Moscow have been arrested by Russian police. (Sky News)
TUNISIA
Tunisia’s ‘topless feminist’ faces jail for having pepper spray
The lawyer of a Tunisian woman who gained notoriety for posting online topless pictures of herself as a protest says she faces six months in prison for carrying a dangerous object. (AP via CBS47)
TURKEY
Turkey Kissing Protest Held In Subway As Couples Defy Ban On Public Displays Of Affection
Dozens of couples have locked lips at a subway stop in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, to protest subway authorities’ admonishment of a couple that kissed in public. (AP via Huffington Post)
Turkey takes important steps to end human rights violations
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said on Thursday that Turkey has made significant improvements in human rights, especially in freedom of expression. (Turkish Weekly)
UNITED KINGDOM
Speaker’s wife faces £150,000 bill for online libel
SPEAKER’S wife Sally Bercow faces a legal bill of £150,000 after losing a libel battle with Lord McAlpine yesterday over a tweet which falsely linked him to allegations of sex abuse. (The Daily Express)
Could “snooper’s charter” stop terror attacks?
Some UK politicians have said the murder of a soldier in Woolwich, London this week demonstrates the need for greater surveillance of communications data. But would a “snooper’s charter” really have made a difference? Index asked Emma Carr of Big Brother Watch and Jamie Bartlett of Demos for their views. (Index on Censorship)
UNITED STATES
Microsoft Disables Comments For Xbox One Videos Following Harsh Criticisms
Want to let Microsoft know how you feel about the Xbox One? You won’t be able to do it on the official YouTube videos. If you head to Microsoft’s official channel for the Xbox One, the comments for the videos have been aptly disabled. (Gaming Blend)
Attacks on the press should come as no surprise
Freedom of the press. It’s a bedrock of our Constitution, right there in the very first amendment. That means it’s one of the most important freedoms and rights guaranteed to this country, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press, all interlocked and interdependent. (Marietta Times)
As UN’s Censorship Alliance Lashes Out from Anonymity, UN Does Nothing
UN scribes from Reuters, Bloomberg News, Voice of America, Agence France Presse and others on the board of the UN Correspondents Association tried to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN in 2012. In 2013 they have started anonymous social media accounts to falsely accuse Inner City Press of being funded by terrorists.
(Inner City Press)
