The Russian government has blocked access to material on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in the name of protecting children, but others see it as a step toward wider Internet censorship, according to the New York Times. Full story
After first ruling that reporters covering the former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky’s child abuse trial could tweet from within the courtroom so long as there were no verbatim quotes, the trial judge took the path of least resistance and banned all live testing, tweeting and blogging. The judge made his new ruling after news organizations said reporters could not tweet accurately without direct quotes. -db From NPR, June 4, 2012, by Mark Nootbaar.
A federal judge ruled that clicking the “like” button on Facebook was “insufficient speech” to warrant protection under the First Amendment. But First Amendment Center President Ken Paulson does not see how pressing the like button is any different from saying “I like such and such a candidate,” obviously protected speech. -db From a commentary for the First Amendment Center, May 31, 2012, by Ken Paulson. Full story
Pittsburg Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall won a round against Hanesbrands for ending his contract to promote their sportswear when the player posted a tweet protesting how people were celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. A federal judge ruled for Mendenhall, finding that the contract could only be ended if the player did something that brought him into “into public dispute …” and that “mere disagreement with Mr. Mendenhall’s comments would not have triggered
With judges edgy about allowing reporters to tweet in the courtroom lest they compromise a defendant’s right to a fair trial, Ken Paulson of the First Amendment Center argues that the new technology need not get in the way. Paulson says anxious judges could at the very least set up a separate room with live video for reporters on Twitter. -db From a commentary for the First Amendment Center, April 17, 2012, by Ken Paulson.