freedom of expression

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Prof Suspended After Giving Student a Zero on Gender Paper

U of Oklahoma instructor failed student's essay that called idea of multiple genders 'demonic'

(Newser) - A University of Oklahoma instructor has been placed on leave after giving a student a zero on an essay that cited the Bible and called the idea of multiple genders "demonic," reports the New York Times . The controversy began when psychology major Samantha Fulnecky, 20, submitted a reaction...

Jodi Picoult Play Yanked From School Right Before Showtime

Indiana students, parents, author protest decision to pull musical based on novel Between the Lines

(Newser) - An Indiana high school abruptly canceled its production of a musical based on a Jodi Picoult novel, sparking accusations of censorship from the author and disappointment among students and parents. Students at Mississinewa High School in Gas City, Indiana, were set to perform an adaptation of Between the Lines , a...

DC Man Sues After Detention for Playing Darth Vader Theme

ACLU claims First Amendment violation after a protest with Star Wars music

(Newser) - A Washington, DC, resident is suing after a protest in which he followed National Guard troops around and played "The Imperial March" from Star Wars resulted in his detention. Sam O'Hara, 35, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday, claiming his First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated when...

Library Director Fired After Book Controversy to Get $700K

Library director in Wyoming reaches settlement with Campbell County

(Newser) - A Wyoming county will pay $700,000 to a former library director to settle a lawsuit after a furor over books with LGBTQ+ and sexual themes. Campbell County agreed to the payout for Terri Lesley, who claims she was fired because she refused to remove certain books deemed offensive...

Tucker Carlson Hints at 'Civil Disobedience' in US

Ex-Fox pundit says disobedience would be justified if government uses Kirk killing to target 'hate speech'

(Newser) - Tucker Carlson's volatile relationship with President Trump may have just cycled back to being a critical one, this time centered on the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the Trump administration's reaction to it. The former Fox News host's main beef: the government's targeting of...

Meta Ordered to Reinstate Porn Star's Instagram
Porn Star Nabs a
Big Win Against Meta
Sep 15, 2025 11:08 AM CDT

Porn Star Nabs a Big Win Against Meta

Top Columbian court says Instagram ban was unlawful, orders policy changes

(Newser) - A top Colombian court has ordered Meta to overhaul its privacy policies after ruling the company unlawfully silenced a prominent adult film actor by shutting down her Instagram account. Esperanza Gomez, who'd amassed over 5 million followers, claimed her account was shut down without explanation after she posted...

Johnson Cites 'Misunderstanding' on Separation of Church, State

Christian conservative speaker claims religious influence on public life was meant to be protected

(Newser) - The new House speaker has thrown his support behind former President Trump while aiming to correct what he claims is a "misunderstanding" about a core principle of US government. According to Mike Johnson, the Founding Fathers very much wanted faith to influence public life, despite the First Amendment prohibiting...

They Said Her Rants Were Racist. But They Were Convicted

11 found to have harassed teen who posted anti-Islam videos

(Newser) - Eleven people have been convicted of the online harassment of a schoolgirl who posted rants against Islam , in a controversial case out of France. The girl identified only as Mila changed schools and underwent police protection after receiving what her lawyer said was more than 100,000 abusive messages, including...

Auschwitz Memorial Chief: Let Me Serve Time for Boy, 13

Nigeria's Omar Farouq has been sentenced to 10 years for blasphemy

(Newser) - As director of the Auschwitz Memorial, Piotr Cywinski has a solid grasp of the horrors of detention. He's ready to dive in anyway. Cywinski has sent a letter to Nigeria's president requesting the pardon of a 13-year-old boy sentenced by a Sharia court to 10 years in prison...

College Probes Professor After 'Black Privilege' Remarks

University of Central Florida looking into complaints of bias against Charles Negy

(Newser) - A longtime tenured psychology professor at the University of Central Florida is under fire after a series of online posts. Per the New York Times , Negy, who has written a book about "white Americans under siege," recently put up multiple tweets that he acknowledged "will infuriate folks....

Netflix Ordered to Pull Film About Gay Jesus

Brazilian judge says 'freedom of expression ... is not absolute'

(Newser) - A Brazilian judge has ordered Netflix to remove a film depicting Jesus Christ with a boyfriend. The First Temptation of Christ, released as a Christmas special, caused such fury among Brazil's conservative Christians that 2 million signed a petition calling for its removal, while a group lobbed firebombs at...

'Expression of Disapproval' Got Her Fired. Now She's Suing

Juli Briskman says employer violated state law by firing her after she flipped off Trump's motorcade

(Newser) - While not everybody is in favor of flipping off President Trump's motorcade, "there can be no doubt that such speech is at the very core of the First Amendment and the Virginia Constitution," says a lawyer for a woman fired for making the gesture last fall. Marketing...

Running in Packs Now Banned in Sierra Leone

Authorities say groups are running 'with a hint of menace'

(Newser) - For decades, young people have taken to the streets in cities across Sierra Leone to jog and exercise socially—some groups in silent focus, others singing and clapping along the way. But the cultural pastime is now banned, with authorities citing "with dismay" that these groups are joined by...

Lego Changes Policy on Using Bricks for Politics

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei can now get his Lego bricks in bulk

(Newser) - Whether it was a genuine change of heart, the #legosforweiwei hashtag, or other public backlash, the Lego Group is now OK sending piles of its famous bricks to the person who's been called "China's most dangerous man." The company had refused to sell in bulk to...

Filmmaker to India: Don't Ban My Rape Documentary
India Bans Incendiary
Rape Documentary
UPDATED
Mar 4, 2015 12:54 PM CST

India Bans Incendiary Rape Documentary

Leslee Udwin had appealed to PM Narendra Modi against 'kneejerk hysteria'

(Newser) - A rapist's utter lack of remorse provoked no small amount of controversy over a coming documentary, and India swiftly responded today by banning India's Daughter outright, reports the New York Times . India won't "allow any organization to leverage" the 2012 gang rape of a woman on...

Pope on Free Speech: Curse My Mom and Get Punched

Francis says free speech has its limits

(Newser) - Freedom of expression has its limits, and those limits include the pope's mama and poking the faith of others. Aboard the papal plane ahead of his trip to the Philippines, Pope Francis addressed the Charlie Hebdo attack by way of pointing to the man at his side, saying, "...

As Universities Go Global, Free Thought Goes Missing

Jackson Diehl: Campuses in 'unfree' countries hurt student, faculty rights

(Newser) - With Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng accusing NYU of yielding to Beijing , intellectual freedom at US universities is in the spotlight, and Jackson Diehl is concerned. Schools like Yale and NYU are focused on expanding their reach, opening campuses across the globe—including in "unfree countries," he writes in...

Author Insults Thai King, Editor Gets 10-Year Sentence

Author has since fled to Cambodia

(Newser) - A Thai magazine editor was today sentenced to 10 years in prison for insulting the king. If that sounds extreme, consider this: Somyot Pruksakasemsuk didn't actually write the insults, he just published them. (The author has since fled to Cambodia.) And they didn't appear in articles of...

School Caves, Lets Gay Kid Wear Banned T-Shirt for Day

Maverick Couch can proclaim 'Jesus Is Not a Homophobe'

(Newser) - Maverick Couch fought the man, and the man caved: The 16-year-old gay student, who sued his Ohio school for the right to wear a T-shirt emblazoned with "Jesus Is Not a Homophobe," will be allowed to wear it for a day. But it's a big day: The...

Pennsylvania Cops Now Let You Swear All You Want

Cops will no longer issue tickets for naughty words

(Newser) - Say it with me, foul-mouthed Pennsylvanians: Hot damn! It is officially no longer a crime to utter choice four-letter words in the presence of state police. They've agreed to stop citing the public for cursing as part of a settlement yesterday of a federal free-speech lawsuit. That suit stems from...

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