donal brown

Investigating neo-Nazi group 2119 for attacking Jews, Blacks, LGBTQ+ people demonstrated the perils of reporting on violent groups for reporter Jordan Green. Green received the expected online harassment and death threats but also a visit to his home of six white supremacists holding traffic flares and making Nazi salutes. A sign warned him of “consequences.” (Raw Story, February 20. 2024, by Jordan Green) Another sign read “Freedom of press does not equal freedom from consequences.”

In her new book Margot Susca reports that private equity purchase of chains like Gannett, GateHouse, and Lee Enterprises means that their newspapers purpose is to make money rather than to serve democracy. Jack Shafer, Politico, February 18, 2024, paraphrases Susca, “Some papers have been reduced to zombie versions of their former selves as the new owners have shaved them down to minimize costs, depriving readers of the comprehensive coverage they enjoyed in the golden

Sinclair Broadcasting’s editorial stance supports ex-president Donald Trump’s view that cities run by Democrats are failing and dangerous. With 185 stations across the U.S., Sinclair dominates the news as local newspapers fail, leaving no one to contest the distorted view of cities. (The Washington Post, February 16, 2024, by Sarah Ellison) Some years ago, journalism professor Mark Feldstein, The Washington Post, April 10, 2018, warned of Sinclair’s efforts to indoctrinate the public, “…Sinclair stands alone

A New York University survey found that the greatest threat to democracy and elections in 2024 is the social media. Meta, Google and X have not fixed the problems that enabled the January 6 insurrection. (The Washington Post, February 14, 2024, by Will Oremus) In 2023 X has lost its leadership in content moderation, not only failing to remove hate speech but subtracting features allowing users to report misinformation. TikTok and Meta have also been

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that there was no free speech right to refuse to wear face masks at school board meetings during the height of the Covid pandemic. (The Associated Press, February 6, 2024, by Mike Catalini) New Jersey citizens brought suits challenging the rule, but the court rejected their arguments, “Skeptics are free to — and did — voice their opposition through multiple means,” the court wrote, “But disobeying a