donal brown

Linda Greenhouse in The New York Times, May 17, 2024, speculates about the Supreme Court”s position on state laws that prohibit providing information about where to get an abortion. The court recently struck down a California law requiring anti-abortion clinics to provide information on where women could get abortions. The court called it unconstitutional compelled speech. Now it could soon rule on whether it can be illegal to give abortion-related advice. Greenhouse says, “…the justices

A MIT researcher found that Meta’s AI systems has learned to lie to humans, “AI’s increasing capabilities at deception poses serious risks, ranging from short-term risks, such as fraud and election tampering, to long-term risks, such as losing control of AI systems.” (Courthouse News Service, May 1, 2024, by Hillel Aron) For related FAC coverage, click here, here and here.

The Pulitzer Prizes of 2024 were notable for online news outlets winning more awards than newspapers. The score was 12 to eight. With the decline of print newsrooms, there has been an increase in online editions and with the Pulitzer count this year hope that hard-nosed journalism may yet prevail. (NiemanLab, May 7, 2024, by Joshua Benton) For related FAC coverage, click here.

A Washington Post editorial, May 8, 2024, criticized President Joe Biden for evading press conferences. In the last 100 years only Nixon and Reagan gave fewer conferences. Biden also answers few questions on the way to an event. The editorial said, “Taking questions from the media promotes public accountability. It also shows that the president is willing to defend his positions and instills confidence that he can do the job.” For related FAC coverage, click

Meg Little Reilly of the University of Vermont in Forbes, April 30, 2024, urges universities to refrain from extreme actions to curtail pro-Palestinian protests. Over 1,000 protesters have been arrested forcefully. “Responses to students should be tailored to match the energy level and actions of the crowd,” writes Reilly, “If a few individuals are behaving in a dangerous or threatening manner, broad action should not be taken against the crowd when those individuals can be