Why free speech is sacred—even when it’s dangerous

The bedrock of freedom? Denying the government the power of censorship.

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  • Suppression of free speech dooms democracy, says law professor Nadine Strossen. We should all be open to hearing dangerous and odious ideas rather than drive them underground.
  • "[P]eople will often say to me, as somebody who is Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who barely survived the Buchenwald Concentration Camp: How can I of all people defend the Nazis?" says Strossen. She also says, "And mark my words I would be equally distraught at having voices on the right silenced for a whole lot of reasons, one of which is the indivisibility of all rights."
  • The Charles Koch Foundation is committed to understanding what drives intolerance and the best ways to cure it. The foundation supports interdisciplinary research to overcome intolerance, new models for peaceful interactions, and experiments that can heal fractured communities. For more information, visit charleskochfoundation.org/courageous-collaborations.
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Watch: China unveils the world’s first A.I. news anchor

China's state-run news agency and the search engine company Sogou have developed an artificially intelligent news anchor that can read the news "tirelessly" 24 hours a day.

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  • The A.I. anchor was based off of a real-life anchor and is able to read any text it's given.
  • It looks realistic, but its movements are slightly awkward while speaking.
  • The developers suggest the technology could someday be used for other purposes besides journalism.
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Why allowing governments to single out reporters sets a dangerous precedent

New York Times reporter Melissa Chan outlined in a Twitter thread how authoritarian governments strategically destroy the reputations of journalists they dislike.

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
  • CNN reporter Jim Acosta has frequently locked horns with President Donald Trump during press briefings.
  • On Wednesday, Acosta and Trump had a standoff that ended with the White House revoking the reporter's press badge.
  • White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders issued a tweet saying Acosta had placed his hands on an intern who tried to take the microphone away from him, a claim which many rebuked.
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Fox scolds Sean Hannity for taking stage at Trump rally

Sean Hannity took the stage at a rally for President Donald Trump Monday night and delivered a short, supportive speech.

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
  • Fox News says it doesn't condone "any talent participating in campaign events."
  • It's not the first time Hannity has been rebuked by network executives for his political activism.
  • Still, it's not clear whether the network plans to penalize Hannity, partly because he's the most-watched host in cable news.
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Fox News to stop airing Trump's controversial immigration ad

Fox News, NBC, Facebook and CNN have all stopped airing the commercial, which some critics have labelled as inflammatory and racist.

  • The 30-second ad shows Luis Bracamontes, an illegal immigrant who killed two policemen, and footage of the migrant caravan.
  • Critics say the ad is racially charged and is meant to conjure fear before the midterm elections.
  • Fox News, typically the most pro-Trump news channel, took some by surprise when it announced it would no longer air the commercial.
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