International Press Institute: Media Freedom and Pluralism in The Republic of Cyprus: An Overview

By Natalie Alkiviadou  Introduction  The piece gives an overview of the situation of media freedom and pluralism in the Republic of Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the entirety of the island. In practice, however, its governance is confined to the southern region while the northern part of the island is administered by the self-proclaimed […]

Mother Jones: Trump Is Threatening to Jail Political Enemies. He’s Not Alone.

By Jeremy Schulman In December, Trump adviser Kash Patel set off alarm bells when he said that if the former president returns to the Oval Office, his new administration might prosecute media figures and others “who lied about American citizens.” “We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media,” Patel told Steve […]

The Lembit Öpik Show: Fake News Criminalization in Cyprus Threatens Free Speech

Featuring Natalie Alkiviadou Senior Research Fellow Natalie Alkiviadou joins The Lembit Öpik Show for TNT Radio to discuss a proposed “fake news” bill in Cyprus. The bill, which Dr. Alkiviadou wrote about at Verfassungsblog, would impose a prison sentence of up to five years for those accused of spreading disinformation.  Alkiviadou expresses concern about the […]

Verfassungsblog: Prison for Fake News

By Natalie Alkiviadou A Proposal to Criminalize Fake News in Cyprus In Cyprus, a new legislative proposal introduces a prison sentence of up to five years on those spreading fake news. I argue that criminally punishing fake news is absolutely horrifying for free speech, for media pluralism, and for democracy. Criminalizing fake news is, to say […]

Reason: If You Don’t Trust Media Now, Wait Until It’s Government-Funded

By J.D. Tuccille In May, the New York State government agreed to subsidize news media. With audiences declining for news reports, many Very Concerned People have called on governments to Do Something to prop up outlets failing to win enough public support to keep the lights on. That something comes in the form of money […]

Media Laws: Will the EMFA Improve Freedom of Expression, Media Pluralism, and Media Independence in Europe?

By Joan Barata  1. Introduction The recent adoption of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)[1] has been presented by European institutions as an important step forward in the effective protection of freedom of the media in the continent. The European Commission considers this Regulation as a culmination of some sort within a series of measures to […]

New York Times: What Protects Fox News Also Protects Our Democracy

As Fox News faces a $1.6 billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems over false reporting, the legal principle of “actual malice” is under scrutiny. While some have called for the erosion of this protection for free speech, The Future of Free Speech Projects Senior Fellow @Jeff Kosseff argues that doing so would be a threat […]

Foreign Policy: U.S. Conservatives Are Threatening Global Free Speech

New Foreign Policy piece by Jacob Mchangama, this time with Nadine Strossen on Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who is expected by many to announce his candidacy for president in the coming weeks or months. DeSantis’s call to make it easier to sue the media for `false information’” is part of a larger Republican revolt against […]