Rachel Riley Libel Ruling is the Latest Judicial Attack on Political Speech

Giving judges the power to settle quite unremarkable, daily political speech confrontations on social media is a recipe for hollowing out the right to express a critical opinion in the main public squares of the digital age.

Jonathan Cook
By Jonathan Cook
Rachel Riley Feature photo

Assaults on the right to speak, and to think, are coming thick and fast. But the significance – and coordination – of all these developments is being largely missed. Those who try to open up a little space – in politics, academia, and journalism – to think critically about our society and how power is misused are the chief targets. Western

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White House Confirms Plans To Rewrite Libel Laws To Target Press

Effort to rewrite libel laws, says press secretary, ‘is being looked into substantively and logistically’

Jon Queally
By Jon Queally
White House press secretary Sean Spicer speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. (AP/Evan Vucci)

White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed Monday that the Trump administration is actively—and in his words "substantively"—reviewing the nation's libel laws as it explores ways it could more easily sidestep First Amendment protections and target press coverage or news stories it deems objectionable. On Sunday morning, White House chief

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Trump Considering Constitutional Amendment To Curb Critical Media Coverage

A constitutional amendment to stem negative coverage of any administration would require a supermajority in both houses of Congress.

teleSUR
By teleSUR
President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, center, attends a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 20, 2017. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

According to U.S. President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Reince Priebus, the administration is still reviewing the country's libel laws in a bid to prosecute journalists. Priebus told ABC News' This Week host Jonathan Karl that Trump was considering a possible constitutional amendment. "I think it's something that we've looked at, and how

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Donald Trump And The Return Of Seditious Libel

Since winning the election, President-elect Donald Trump has continuously complained about coverage from The New York Times and others. Trump has also promised to roll back the rights of the press.

Richard Tofel
By Richard Tofel
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Crown Arena, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, in Fayetteville, N.C.

In 1733, New York printer John Peter Zenger began publishing the eighth newspaper in the American colonies, and the first willing to venture criticism of the government. The New-York Weekly Journal was the second paper in a city of 10,000 or so people, 1700 of them slaves. As we are reminded in Richard Kluger's comprehensive new book, "Indelible

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Donald Trump And The Return Of Seditious Libel

It is not “freedom of the press” when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!

Richard Tofel
By Richard Tofel
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump listens to an answer to a question from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

In 1733, New York printer John Peter Zenger began publishing the eighth newspaper in the American colonies, and the first willing to venture criticism of the government. The New-York Weekly Journal was the second paper in a city of 10,000 or so people, 1700 of them slaves. As we are reminded in Richard Kluger's comprehensive new book, "Indelible

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