March 2017

Speaking in front of Washington's top political journalists recently, Vice President Pence said he is — and has always been — an advocate of a free and independent press. He talked about his time as a radio commentator in the 1990s — a “Rush Limbaugh on decaf,” as he had been described. He also brought up his sponsorship of a federal shield law that would have protected reporters from having to testify or reveal their confidential sources. Pence sponsored versions of the legislation a few times when he was in Congress. Although the Free Flow of Information Act never became law, Pence's advocacy for the news media earned him praise from journalists, including an award from a newspaper association.

But while Pence does have a track record of supporting a free press and the First Amendment, that record is tainted and his stance on the public's right to know has become muddled, critics say. During his time as Indiana governor, for instance, Pence found himself rebuked by free speech and open-government advocates — once because of a widely criticized plan to create a taxpayer-funded news service, and again when his staff deleted Facebook comments that disagreed with his stance on same-sex marriage.

A primer on FCC Privacy news.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has wasted no time in scaling back rules passed by his Democratic predecessor, Tom Wheeler. This includes putting the brakes on new rules that govern what companies can do with your online data. Proponents like consumer advocacy groups argue that the rules protect your privacy, while internet service providers say that the regulations are too strict and don't apply to online companies like Facebook and Google. Regardless of whether you think the FCC or the Federal Trade Commission should be the top cop policing internet privacy, the issue of online security isn't going away anytime soon.

[Commentary] With President Donald Trump’s early morning tweet several days ago accusing former President Barack Obama of unlawfully tapping his phone calls “during the very sacred election process,”and adding that “This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!,” Trump unambiguously accused President Obama of criminal conduct. In so doing, Trump committed the quintessential libel. It would be truly fascinating if Obama were now to sue Trump for defamation.

Of course, this will not happen. Barack Obama is not that kind of “guy.” He is a person of integrity, calm, and self-restraint. So, perhaps sadly, we will be spared the drama of such litigation. But this is just one more illustration of why the person currently in the White House should not be there.

[Geoffrey Stone is the Edward h Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago]

[Commentary] Though women from various parts of the internet have differing and often conflicting ideas on the best course of action for today's "Day Without a Woman", everyone I spoke to implicitly agreed that whatever we choose matters and that the choices were ones worth weighing and re-weighing. There will be opportunities in the next four years (and beyond) to refine our process for making bold, collective statements online (and off) Of that, we are nauseatingly sure. And however today’s strike affects national discourse, it’ll be a learning experience — yet another in a string of recent events that has compelled those who care about the fate of their country to face activism’s challenging conversations.