Mediaboss Marketing

The Star-Ledger won the general excellence award in the 2020 New Jersey Press Association Better Newspaper Contest, the association announced Friday.

It was the eighth time in the past 11 years The Star-Ledger won the award. Journalists at NJ Advance Media provide the majority of the locally produced content for The Star-Ledger, NJ.com and other affiliated papers.

In addition to the general excellence award, The Star-Ledger also took home top honors in various editorial, advertising and photography awards with much of the coverage focused on the devastating effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on New Jersey.

Year in and year out, we have proven that we have the best team of journalists in New Jersey, said Kevin Whitmer, the organizations lead editor. The pandemic pushed our journalists to new levels of service and quality journalism. That shows in these results and the fact that millions of readers every day now rely on our work to keep them safe and informed.

Staff and reporters won first-place awards in the breaking news, critical writing, scholastic sports portfolio and other categories. The Star-Ledger received 18 first-place, 12 second-place and eight third-place awards, for a total of 38 editorial awards, the most since the 2014 contest.

Journalists who took home individual awards include sports reporter Brian Fonseca, who won first place for the Robert P. Kelly Award, which is given to a permanent staffer with less than a year of professional experience at the time of publication; Karin Price Mueller, who won a prize for her portfolio of business and government stories; and Dave DAlessandro, who was cited for a portfolio of editorials.

Columnist Emeritus Jerry Izenberg won first place among sports columnists with a portfolio focused on underserved communities -- Negro League ballplayers, an overlooked Native American boxer and Colin Kaepernicks quest for social justice. Izenberg, 90, recently was inducted into the N.J. Hall of Fame and has been writing for The Star-Ledger since 1951, when he was a student at Rutgers University in Newark.

Other first-place writing awards went to Steve Politi, for his sports writing portfolio; Bobby Olivier, in the critical writing category; and Phil Cornell, for best headlines.

Star Ledger photography garnered one first-place award by Chris Faytok and four second-place awards.

The papers advertising team collected five first-place awards, three second place awards and two third-place awards.

NJ.com also took home 13 advertising and digital marketing awards, while Lori M. Nichols and Tim Hawk of The South Jersey Times took home 12 awards for photography.

Hawk won six first-place awards for work affiliated with The South Jersey Times.

The Star-Ledger competes in the states largest circulation category. The Express-Times of Easton, Pa., which is also part of NJ Advance Media, won the general excellence award in the under 25,000 circulation category. It marked the first time NJ Advance Media swept the daily contest since the company was formed in 2014.

The first-, second- and third-place winners from The Star-Ledger, South Jersey Times and NJ.com were:

Editorial:

First Place - Responsible Journalism - Enterprise Reporting - Coronavirus Pandemic Coverage - Staff

First Place - Responsible Journalism - First Amendment - Art Weissman Memorial Award - Unpaid and Unanswered and coverage of the states unemployment crisis - Sophie Nieto-Munoz, Karin Price Mueller, Matthew Stanmyre and Bobby Olivier

First Place - Responsible Journalism - Editorial Comment - Murphy and his golf cronies have Liberty State Park in their crosshairs. This is a recording // Helping hungry kids is a SNAP. So whats keeping NJ from helping? // Welcome back to the MVC. This is what hell is like. - Dave DAlessandro

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Breaking News - Statewide COVID-19 Shutdown - Staff

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Business & Government Writing Portfolio - Widow struggles to get rid of lease for husbands new car after he dies of coronavirus // This boss used his home equity line to pay health insurance for his employees after shutdown // Cancer patient has waited 248 days for unemployment check - Karin Price Mueller

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Critical Writing - Springsteen Letter to You album review: A masterful rock memoir, his best in many years // Ive given up on N.J.s drive-in concert experiment. Heres why. // Celine Dion, alleged fellow human, is flawless at 1st N.J. concert in a decade - Bobby Olivier

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Robert P. Kelly Award-New Journalist - Address me by my name: Rutgers Ron Harper Jr. goes one-on-one with his fathers legacy // Why has Rutgers ignored this forgotten NCAA Tournament team? // Early arrivals, middle fingers and sold-out jerseys: NJ football fans welcome the XFLs Guardians - Brian Fonseca

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Scholastic Sports Portfolio - What will it take to pull off HS sports this fall in N.J.? // She fought for a girls golf team at her school and won. Then the pandemic hit. // After 2 decades, 337 wins and 1 untouchable legacy, Mike Otto retires from Delran - Brian Deakyne

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Sports Column - Negro League stars went to their graves waiting for recognition as Baseball dragged its feet // Mixed blood, sweat and tears: The long, strange and untold saga of boxing champion Marvin Camel // Roger Goodell still owes Colin Kaepernick an apology - Jerry Izenberg

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Sports Writing Portfolio - Meet the NJ siblings conquering the odds and Rutgers med school to chase Olympic fencing gold // Greg Schiano on why he left Rutgers and his road back to NJ // Eric LeGrand knows the coronavirus might kill him. He hasnt left his house in 28 days. - Steve Politi

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Best Headlines - In time of need, paper guy brings kindness to his fold // All the worlds a stage of reopening // Cut out for the role of fans - Phil Cornell

First Place - Best Audio Category - #TogetherNJ - Jessica Remo, Jessica Mazzola, Katie Kausch

First Place - Best Video Portfolio - Andre Malok

First Place - Best Video Series - #TogetherNJ - Staff

First Place - Best Web Event - 24 Hours in Crisis - Staff

First Place - Design and Presentation - Feature Section Page Design Portfolio - Feature Page Design Portfolio - Jennifer Meyer

First Place - Reporting and Writing - Special Issue-In Paper - Another Day in Crisis - Staff

Second Place - Best Web Event - Silent Stages - Bobby Olivier, Aristide Economopoulos

Second Place - Innovation Award - Coronavirus Text Message Alerts - Staff

Second Place - Responsible Journalism - Public Service - Lloyd P. Burns Memorial Award - The Kids Left Behind - Adam Clark

Second Place - Reporting and Writing - Sports Column - Stop the games. All of them. // Rutgers star Geo Baker can lead a movement and make a different kind of history // As the Washington Redskins move toward name change, insensitive NJ school mascots finally have to go, too - Steve Politi

Second Place - Reporting and Writing - Scholastic Sports Portfolio - Years later, fate brings miracle babies from deaths door to state wrestling tourney // 126-pound final: Bergen Catholics Robert Howard leaves legacy for all to see // After sudden death of his brother, Becton football coach leads team to division title - Patrick Lanni

Second Place - Best Audio Category - Today in N.J. - Libby Cardone

Second Place - Design and Presentation - News/Business Page Design Portfolio - News Page Design Portfolio - James Moening

Second Place - Reporting and Writing - Local News Coverage - Staff

Third Place - Reporting and Writing - Specialty Writing Portfolio - This N.J. man took his own life during the pandemic // N.J.s coronavirus outbreak may have started at a Yonkers racetrack // Nine pages of obituaries in 1 day. Heres how our writers are chronicling the loss. - Keith Sargeant

Third Place - General Coronavirus/COVID-19 Coverage - Coronavirus has killed dozens in state prisons. How N.J. failed to stop it. - Blake Nelson, S.P. Sullivan, Joe Atmonavage

Third Place - Responsible Journalism - Editorial Comment - Im going to lose my life in this place: ICE detainees beg for release // Theyre going to kill us in here Or will ICE finally act? // Were losing our battle with COVID. Murphy must act now and so should all of us - Julie OConnor

Third Place - Reporting and Writing - Feature- Lifestyle and Entertainment Writing Portfolio - The Survivor // This 100-year-old trailblazer, and her passion for voting, is the Election Day pick-me-up you need // Cancel Thanksgiving? My mother cant bear the thought. - Jessica Remo

Third Place - Reporting and Writing - News Column - Im not the same person I was a year ago and neither are you. How we survived the most unusual year of our lives. // What do all the coronavirus deniers have to say now? I asked them. // Cancel Thanksgiving? My mother cant bear the thought. - Jessica Remo

Third Place - Best Video - Beloved 94-year-old hot dog lady is still working after months of COVID quarantine - Andre Malok

Third Place - Best Video Portfolio - Mel Ibarra

Third Place - Best Video Series - N.J. is Open - Dwayne Uzoaru

Advertising:

First Place - Best Ad in a Niche Publication/Magazine - RCCA Living With Cancer in 2020 - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Julie Williams, Senior Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Ad Professional & Technology Services- color or b&w - Precision Overhead Garage Door Service is New Jerseys #1 Choice - Alaa Selim, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Jeff Ruderman, Director Digital Operations, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Special Topic Page(s) - Star Ledger Memorial Day Tribute - Classified Sales NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Niche Publication/Magazine - Jerseys Best Spring 2020 - Kim Alvarez, Vice President, Business Development & Classified, NJ Advance Media; Jerseys Best Staff, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Special Section - First Night Morris 2021 - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Isabella Mest, Director, Direct Marketing, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Classified Pages - SL Careers March 15, 2020 - Recruitment Sales Team, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best External Promotion Piece or Media Kit - Jerseys Best Marketing Media Kit - Robert Morgia, Marketing Specialist, NJ Advance Media; Isabella Mest, Director, Direct Marketing, NJ Advance Media; Michele Hayes, Associate Vice President, Marketing, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Special Section - Top Workplaces - Recruitment Sales Team NJ Advance Media

Third Place - Best Special Section Cover - Fall Travel - Angela Perilla, Creative & Marketing Associate, NJ Advance Media

Third Place - Best Ad in a Niche Publication/Magazine - Springpoint Discover An All-Inclusive Lifestyle - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Dawn Apisa, Print Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

Photography:

First - Sports Feature - Steam - Chris Faytok

Second - General News- Sons Farewell - Patti Sapone

Second - News Picture Story - End of Watch

Second - Portrait - Witch Doctor - Aristide Economopoulos

Second - Spot News - Fatal Fire - Aristide Economopoulos

Advertising:

First Place - Best Digital Ad Campaign - Vitafusion CBD Full Spectrum Hemp Extract Gummies - Creative Team, NJ Advance Media; Yvonne Lardizabal, Senior Search/Social Account Manager, NJ Advance Media; Chris Allen Director, Digital Products, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Digital Impact Ad - Segal & Morel - Live Better, Spend Less, Get More - Alaa Selim, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Ashley Miller, Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Digital Standard Unit Ad - Lofts at Pier Village - Winter: Dont Miss Your Chance - Alaa Selim, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Jeff Horn, Director, Sales, Real Estate, NJ Advance Media; Kenneth Bramson, Senior Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Multi-Media Online & Print Campaign - Centers for Neurosurgery Spine & Orthopedics - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Angela Perilla, Creative & Marketing Associate, NJ Advance Media; Casey Donnellon, Senior Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media; Jennifer Clark, Director, Local Retail, NJ Advance Media

First Place - Best Rich Media Creative - RCCA: Innovative Cancer Care Close to Home - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Julie Williams, Senior Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Digital House Ad - NJ is Open - Robert Morgia, Marketing Specialist, NJ Advance Media; Jacquelyn Gawron, Marketing Specialist, NJ Advance Media; David Martel, Chief Brand Strategist, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Digital Impact Ad - Home Surplus - Free Kitchen Assembly - Alaa Selim, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Timothy Drummond, Sales Director, NJ Advance Media; Vesna Day, Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Digital Standard Unit Ad - EANJ: Helping Our Employers-Members Keep Their Workplace Safe - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Casey Donnellon, Senior Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media; Magda Malinska, Marketing Solutions Manager, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Multi-Media Online & Print Campaign - Black Lives Matter - Angela Perilla, Creative & Marketing Associate, NJ Advance Media; Michele Hayes, Associate VP, Marketing, NJ Advance Media

Second Place - Best Rich Media Creative - Viking Pest Control: This Fall, Keep the Pests Out! - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Kenneth Bramson, Senior Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

Third Place - Best Digital Ad Campaign - Extell Lofts at Pier Village Display Ad Campaign - Alaa Selim, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Jeff Horn, Director, Sales, Real Estate, NJ Advance Media; Kenneth Bramson, Senior Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

Third Place - Best Digital Impact Ad - First Night Morris - On New Years Eve...Live, Streaming & On-Demand - Melissa Chin, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Isabella Mest, Director, Direct Marketing, NJ Advance Media

Third Place - Best Rich Media Creative - bcreative digital media: Video Sells! - Alaa Selim, Senior Creative Consultant, NJ Advance Media; Sean ODonnell, Digital Account Manager, NJ Advance Media

Photography:

First Place - Best Portfolio - Tim Hawk - Portfolio

First Place - Feature - Tim Hawk - Surfing Teddy

First Place - Feature Picture Story - Tim Hawk - FlyPups - Every photo in this set was so cute! Great series, but the fifth photo was my absolute favorite.

First Place - General News - Tim Hawk - Focused - Its the eyes that draw the reader into this brilliantly-composed photo by Tim Hawk, which rose to the top of an incredibly-competitive category.

First Place - Pictorial - Tim Hawk - Spooky Blue Moon

First Place - Spot News - Tim Hawk - Atlantic City protest

Second Place - Protest - Tim Hawk - Sign of the times

Second Place - Sports Feature - Lori M. Nichols - Connor ONeill, wrestler

Third Place - Sports Feature - Lori M. Nichols - Lady Herd

Third Place - Sports Feature Picture Story - Lori M. Nichols - Surf Jam

Third Place - Feature Picture Story - Tim Hawk - Red Solo Cup service - This series tells a unique story in a unique time. The fifth photo in the set was my favorite.

Third Place - Pictorial - Lori M. Nichols - The view from the jetty

See more here:
Star-Ledger wins general excellence award, numerous other top honors from state press association - NJ.com

Palm Beach Post

Floridians, your First Amendment right to peacefully protest is under attack. Not by extremist groups, but by our very own Florida Legislature. The vehicle is a bill known as House Bill1 and its Senate companion, Senate Bill 484.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced plans for this bill following the largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protests, which took place throughout the United States and around the world after the brutal murder of George Floyd. Now the legislation has cynically been rebranded as an attempt to address the insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,in fact, it was filed that very night.

HB 1 at its core would dilute the rights that this country and this state were founded upon. This legislation includes enhanced criminal penalties for offenses already codified by law. Innocent bystanders caught in a protest gone unruly could find themselves arrested and thrown in jail for the night, their bail eliminated before a first court appearance after their arrest. The state could preempt local government authority when law enforcement budgets are cut, allowing the governor and Florida Cabinet to force local governments to cut other needed local services.

This proposed legislation is completely unnecessary. There are already criminal laws - both state and federal - that address rioting, insurrection, treason, assault, and battery.. In fact, it would chill the exercise of the right to peaceably assemble, made abundantly clear when there is no provision that takes into account the granting of permits authorizing peaceful gatherings. Even more alarming is the granting of an affirmative defense to persons who may deliberately injure innocent protesters that peacefully protest when a gathering is designated a riot under the vague standards of the legislation.

Since the founding of these United States and the establishment of the State of Florida, We, the People, have enjoyed the right to peaceably assemble and the coordinated right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Article I, section 5 of the Florida Constitution provides: The people shall have the right to assemble, to instruct their representatives, and to petition for redress of grievances. This right derives from Amendment I, of the United States Constitution.

The First Amendment specifically provides that Congress cannot make a law that abridges the right of the people to peacefully assemble. Likewise, no state legislature can deprive the people of this basic and fundamental right. This was made clear by the United States Supreme Court in De Jonge v. Oregon, 299 U.S. 353 (1937). Writing for a unanimous Court, Chief Justice Charles Hughes said the state laws that interfere with a groups right to gather and discuss political issues was repugnant to the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. HB 1, like the bill denounced in the De Jonge case, would abridge the right of the citizens of the State of Florida to the free exercise of their right to assemble and petition their government.

HB 1, or as its sponsors have named it, Combatting Public Disorder is not just anti-protest and anti-1st Amendment, it is outright anti-American.

We the People have seen the power of the right to assemble from the days of William Penn to the modern civil rights movements. Abolitionists took to the streets to raise the nations awareness of the evils of slavery. Suffragists used the power of protest to redress the grievance of voter disenfranchisement for a large segment of the population women. Labor activists, religious organizations, LGBTQ communities, and other groups throughout our nation have gathered, with their collective voices, to call for redress of problems that plague our democracy. As a result, Americans of all racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious

backgrounds have peaceably protested and made positive changes. This is the essence of democracy. This is the essence of a government as described by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address, [a] government of the people, by the people, for the people.

The Bill of Rights in the U.S.Constitution and the Declaration of Rights in the Florida Constitution form the foundations for this democracy. Each right is a pillar that keeps the house, our democracy, steady. When we tear down one pillar of the house, the foundation begins to shift. The house is then subject to collapse. We must not allow this house, our precious democracy, to fall.

We urge our legislators, both representatives and senators, to reject HB 1 and its Senate companion. By doing so, we preserve the right to peaceably assemble and we preserve a necessary pillar of our democracy.

PEGGY A. QUINCE AND PATRICIA BRIGHAM, ORLANDO

Editor's note:Quinceis a former justice of the Florida Supreme Court and current board director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Brigham is president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.

Link:
Point of View: Florida's anti-protest bill is actually anti-American - Palm Beach Post

In an unprecedented display of private censorship, Twitter, Facebook and other major social media platforms suspended former President Trumps accounts, preventing him from communicating with his millions of followers. Many Americans were relieved, finally, to see limits placed onTrumps ability to spread misinformation and sow discord. But few should be sanguine attheprospect of unaccountable technology monopolies serving asthenations speech police.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter also have allegedly deletedtheposts and accounts of racial justice advocates at home and human rights activists abroad, especially when they have been critical of government power.

That private technology platforms exert unparalleled power over political discourse is deeply undemocratic.

To be clear, this is not a First Amendment issue.TheFirst Amendments protection of free speech applies only tothegovernment and not to private companies. But it is an issue of profound importance with regard to free speech andtheright of speakers to express their message and of their audience to hear it.

Congress, though, can regulate social media platforms by federal law and hasthepower to pass legislation that forbids designated social media platforms from discriminating against users and content onthebasis of their political views. Platforms would still be free to remove unprotected speech such as libel, slander, threats andtheintentional dissemination of untruth. They would also be permitted to remove posts that do not conform to their community standards of decency and mutual respect. But platforms would not be permitted to censor speech based on its political content.

Congress hastheconstitutional authority to enact such legislation, and it has exercised this authority inthepast. Starting in 1949, through what became known asthefairness doctrine,theFederal Communication Commission (FCC) required broadcast licensees to discuss controversial issues of public importance and to ensuretheexpression of contrasting viewpoints. IntheCommunications Act of 1959, Congress explicitly acknowledged the obligation of broadcasters to operate inthepublic interest and to afford reasonable opportunity forthediscussion of conflicting views on issues of public importance.

TheSupreme Court upheldtheconstitutionality ofthefairness doctrine in Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC (1969). TheCourt held thattheFirst Amendment does not preventthegovernment from requiring a broadcast licensee to conduct itself as a fiduciary with obligations to present views and voices that are representative of its community. Otherwise, broadcasters would have unfettered power to communicate onlytheviews of those with whom they agreed.

In Red Lion and subsequent cases,theSupreme Court has said thatthegovernment can regulatethespeech of broadcasters so long as its action is substantially related to achieving an important government purpose. For example, in Turner Broadcasting System v. FCC (1997),theCourt rejected a First Amendment challenge tothemust carry provisions oftheCable Act of 1992, which forced cable television providers to dedicate some of their channels to local broadcast television stations. In doing so,theCourt recognizedtheneed to promotethedissemination of information from multiple sources in order to counteractthemonopoly power of cable companies.

Based on these cases, a nondiscrimination doctrine applied to technology platforms with monopoly power should also be upheld.TheRed Lion decision rests in part onthescarcity ofthebroadcast spectrum, but private monopoly power over speech exists not only whenthegovernment grants a broadcast license, but also when a social media platform dominates public discourse. In truth,thepower that platforms such as Twitter and Facebook possess is far greater than that of individual broadcasters who compete with one another as well as with satellite and cable networks.

A federal law preventing social media companies from discriminating onthebasis of political views would enhance free speech by preventing monopoly suppression of particular views, thereby ensuring that competing voices are heard over social media. Such a provision would be narrowly tailored because it requires only that platforms refrain from censoring speech onthebasis of its political content. In contrast, underthefairness doctrine, broadcast licensees were required to identify issues of public importance and present contrasting viewpoints. These aspects ofthefairness doctrine have been criticized, but a nondiscrimination doctrine does not require identifying and promoting particular views.

Finally, social media platforms do not and should not receivethesame protections affordedthepress. In Miami Herald v. Tornillo (1974),theSupreme Court invalidated a Florida law that granted political candidatestheright to reply to attacks on their record by a newspaper because it infringed onthe newspapers editorial freedom. However, under Section 230 oftheCommunications Decency Act of 1996, providers of an interactive computer service are not publishers or speakers of third-party content provided on their service. Unlike newspapers, social media platforms are immune from lawsuits that arise from that content.

Free speech is threatened by both public and private censorship. But existing laws do little to limittheawesome power of todays social media monopolies to silencethespeech of whoever they oppose. By preventing social media platforms from discriminating, Congress can keep faith withtheFirst Amendment while ensuring that private monopolies do not controlthepublic sphere.

PrasadKrishnamurthy is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

See original here:
How Congress can prevent Big Tech from becoming the speech police | TheHill - The Hill

The left has a free-speech problem. As Bryce Wyles recent column indicates, there is an increasingly common willingness to strip basic civil liberties in the name of social justice, as well as a troubling lack of understanding of the First Amendment, what it exists to protect and the inherent societal value of free speech. There is deep irony to Wyles statement that people will often assume their freedom of speech means they can deny others right to speech that is simply unconstitutional. This statement is nonsensical not only because nowhere on the list of non-first amendment protected speech is anything resembling silencing others, but also because the hateful speech Wyles describes does nothing to prevent anyone from speaking out against it. Most of all, Wyles article shows a disturbing disregard for freedom of speech. It indicates a belief that only those who wish to express reasonable or even only progressive speech deserve free expression.

The First Amendment protects racist speech, bigoted speech and other hate speech. However, this is not a flaw in our free-speech laws but a deep strength. Like Wyles, I am disgusted by the Universitys chapter of the Young Americas Foundations hateful actions. However, what makes the First Amendment so powerful is that it does not exist to make me comfortable. It does not exist to protect reasonable opinions, good ideas and productive discourse. It exists to protect the repugnant, the controversial and the provocative. A world without the freedom to say controversial things even objectively terrible things is a world without free expression. Without free expression, there can be no civil liberties.

Further, U.Va. is a public university and is thus legally bound to uphold the First Amendment. It both cannot and should not silence any First Amendment protected speech, which ultimately includes all hate speech that does not become harassment, libel or any other non-protected speech act. However, Wyles column reveals a greater problem than ignorance about the First Amendment. The complete willingness to disregard basic liberties in the name of social justice is an increasingly common trend in college leftism. Ultimately, this trend will work to the detriment of liberal thought and erode leftist commitment to liberal values.

As a liberal, I am increasingly troubled by the distinctly authoritarian streak in modern leftism. While I wholeheartedly agree with the leftist cause of economic and racial justice, the increasingly authoritarian, anti-free speech rhetoric used by leftists is deeply harmful to the progressive cause. Over the past few years, I have seen words like free speech and liberty become dirty words in liberal spaces this deeply disturbs me. To abandon a commitment to essential civil liberties yes, even for those with whom you disagree radically is to abandon what liberalism fundamentally stands for in favor of destructive dogmatism. I align with the political left because I deeply believe in the value of a free and open society. This is something that can only be gained when all are able to express their beliefs, and where ideological disagreements are solved in the public forum of debate, discourse and protest. When someone says something repugnant, the solution is not to silence them but to use your rights to vocally and intensely disagree.

If an appeal to the inherent value of civil liberties isnt convincing, then consider a more pragmatic perspective. If your goal is to change minds and hearts, advocating for the censorship of those you dislike isnt going to change anything. In fact, it makes leftists appear volatile, dogmatic and anything but progressive. Public disagreement gives liberals an opportunity to share their best ideas and to actually present compelling arguments for joining the cause. Censorship is lazy and ultimately ineffective.

I believe in the liberal cause and the importance of leftist activism and advocacy for the kinds of radical change needed in our nation. I, too, am enraged by the kinds of hateful, indisputably racist language groups like YAF deploy. However, for all my disagreement, I could not in good conscience wish for their silencing. Instead, I use my own free expression to state deep disgust at their speech, while remaining deeply committed to their right to say it. Authoritarianism is becoming increasingly popular on both sides of the aisle and to devastating effect. If progressivism is to remain a powerful force, and frankly to state a deeper fear of mine if a commitment to liberty is to remain valuable in this nation, leftists must abandon authoritarian sympathies. The freedom of speech is one of the most basic and essential rights given in this country. I, for one, will continue grasping tightly to it.

Emma Camp is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.

View post:
CAMP: The left should embrace free-speech again - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

Democrats took aim at the Trump legal teams expected First Amendment defense, saying it has no basis in the evidence.

Watch Raskins remarks in the player above.

Lead House Impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin argued in the Senate trial that there is a First Amendment defense against the impeachment charge is absurd.

Futher, Raskin said, The First Amendment does not create some superpower immunity from impeachment.

Thursdays session follows the previous days raw and visceral video of last months deadly insurrection.

Though most of the Senate jurors seem to have made up their minds, making Trumps acquittal likely, the never-before-seen audio and video released Wednesday is now a key exhibit in Trumps impeachment trial as lawmakers prosecuting the case argue Trump should be convicted of inciting the siege.

Trump lawyers are expected to will argue Friday that his words were protected by the Constitutions First Amendment and just a figure of speech.

Excerpt from:
WATCH: Trump not protected by First Amendment for inciting insurrection, Rep. Raskin says - PBS NewsHour