Coronavirus effects on California healthcare workers – Los Angeles Times

Posted on by

Coronavirus is continuing to take a devastating toll on healthcare workers across the state, according to new data.

More than 1,600 healthcare workers have become infected, a number of them through sources outside work, and officials say they are alarmed at the pace.

With coronavirus moving rapidly within the community, healthcare workers now appear just as likely, if not more so, to become infected by COVID-19 outside the workplace, the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.

Healthcare workers are essential in caring for the growing number of sick people. But the state said those who did get infected needed to be isolated immediately.

Here are the latest statistics:

299 people have acquired COVID-19 in a healthcare setting

462 have been exposed via travel, close contacts or community transmission

890 have been infected but their specific exposure source has not been reported

California has not seen the death toll of virus hot spots such as New York, where more than 4,000 people have died. And while the virus continues to spread rapidly in some places, including Los Angeles County, there are signs that its rate of growth could be slowing in parts of the Bay Area.

So far, hospitals have not been overwhelmed by patients.

But the toll has been grim at nursing homes and other institutional facilities, where both workers and residents have become ill.

In a bid to stem the virus spread, Kaiser Permanente announced Thursday that it would temporarily close numerous medical offices and clinics throughout Southern California.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a call for healthcare workers to join the state in caring for an expected surge of COVID-19 patients.

Newsom said he believed the state could add 37,000 healthcare workers by asking recently retired providers, those in the process of getting a medical license in the state and students enrolled in medical or nursing schools to apply to the newly created California Health Corps.

As healthcare workers face greater risk, they are also gaining more support and appreciation in the community.

San Diegos Little Italy has made showing its appreciation a nightly ritual.

At 7:59 p.m. on a recent night, the neighborhood was eerily quiet, save for the gentle drumming of a light rainfall. Then, at the stroke of 8, it began. Whoops, clanging cowbells, loud music, bursts of firecrackers, whistles, gongs and singing poured from balconies and apartment windows. By 8:02 p.m., it was over.

Every night for the last week or so, San Diego residents have begun embracing an evening ritual that started in Europe in mid-March, then spread to the U.S. a week later. Originally launched in northern Italy to thank the exhausted healthcare workers tending to COVID-19 patients, the evening cheers have taken on added significance for local celebrants.

Sean Murray, who lives on the 21st floor of an apartment building in downtown San Diego, said he and his husband, Bill Schmidt, looked forward all day to the brief, cacophonous celebrations, which are accompanied by flashing lights in the apartment buildings that surround them.

It reminds me of the book Horton Hears a Who! said Murray, who co-founded Cygnet Theatre with Schmidt in 2003. In the 1954 childrens book by Dr. Seuss, a tiny city of people living inside a dust speck desperately seek contact with the outside world by shouting the words We are here! over and over.

It started when people were thanking first responders, Murray said. People are able to go out and cheer because these people are out there saving our lives. Its profoundly amazing.

Times staff writers Money and Fry reported from Los Angeles. Kragen writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The rest is here:

Coronavirus effects on California healthcare workers - Los Angeles Times

Lawmakers Announce Nearly $750M Award For Hospital And Healthcare Providers In Maryland – CBS Baltimore

Posted on by

WASHINGTON The full Maryland congressional delegation announced Friday the award of nearly $750 million for Maryland hospitals and health care providers through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund.

Created through the CARES Act, this program was designed to enable health care providers to cover the costs of responding to COVID-19.

Marylands hospitals and health care providers are taking extraordinary steps to protect public health and save lives, the delegation said. Cost constraints and the need to operate within existing funding structures must not inhibit their ability to respond effectively. Future distributions from this emergency fund must be allocated in a transparent manner, ensuring that all of Marylands hospitals have the resources they need, including those in emerging hotspots such as the Baltimore-Washington Corridor, and should recognize the essential role of other health care providers who treat vulnerable and low-income populations.

Roughly $400 million will be allocated to hospitals and $342 million to outpatient health care providers.

These awards represent Marylands share of the initial $30 billion awarded nationwide Friday.

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Congress allocated a total of $100 billion for the program, the remainder of which will be disbursed at a later date.

Through the CARES Act, Maryland has also received $15.6 million for community health centers announced Wednesday and $48 million to Maryland local governments announced by the delegation last week.

Separately, the delegation has announced a total of $17.1 million in CDC funding through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act to support the Maryland health system.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to theMaryland Health Departments websiteor call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage oncoronavirus in Maryland here.

The rest is here:

Lawmakers Announce Nearly $750M Award For Hospital And Healthcare Providers In Maryland - CBS Baltimore

John Deere starts production of protective gear for health-care workers – KWQC-TV6

Posted on by

(KWQC) - John Deere is teaming up with multiple organizations to produce protective face shields for health-care workers in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

In a release, officials say this is in collaboration with the UAW, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association has joined multiple organizations and companies across the country to produce them.

Employees began production on Wednesday at the John Deere Seeding Group in Moline. The factory manufactures planting equipment and precision ag solutions for a global customer base.

Officials say Deere expects to produce 25,000 face shields in the initial stages of production and has ordered materials and supplies to produce an additional 200,000 face shields. Additionally, officials say the first 25,000 will be delivered to 16 United States Deere-Hitachi factory for local distribution. The initial run will help officials meet the immediate needs of health-care workers in those communities.

You can read the full announcement below.

"John Deere, in collaboration with the UAW, the IowaDepartment of Homeland Security and the Illinois Manufacturers Association, announced today it is producing protective face shields at John Deere Seeding Group in Moline, Illinois. Deere employees will initially produce 25,000 face shields to meet the immediate needs of healthcare workers in several of its U.S. manufacturing communities.

Materials and supplies are on order to produce an additional 200,000 face shields. The company is using an open-source design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the project and leveraging expertise, skills, and innovation of its employee base.

Our manufacturing and supply management teams, along with our production and maintenance employees, the UAW, and our partners have worked tirelessly to ensure we could lend our support and protect our health-care workers during this crisis, said John May, Chief Executive Officer, Deere & Company. By working closely with the communities where our employees live and work, we can help support the needs weve identified close to home and, as the project expands, address additional, urgent needs across the country.

John Deere Seeding Group employees are supporting the special project and are utilizing extensive and robust safety measures adopted across the company to safeguard employees.

This is a very proud day for the UAW and our UAW members, said Rory L. Gamble, UAW President. I want to recognize the hard work that Secretary-Treasurer and Agriculture Implement Department Director Ray Curry and Region 4 Director Ron McInroy contributed to this effort. This included working to put the necessary health and safety provisions in place for our members to begin manufacturing critically-needed face shields for the health-care workers who are on the front lines of this crisis saving lives. We are especially proud of the courageous UAW members who are stepping up to do this critical work.

The production of protective face shields is one of many initiatives the company and its employees have executed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Efforts in the U.S. have included the following:

PPE donations to health care facilities 2:1 employee match program encouraging donations to local food banks and the American Red Cross Production of approximately 18,000 protective face shields for use by factory employees Employee volunteerism efforts to sew cloth masks for community members along with a match from the John Deere Foundation for the time invested in this volunteer activity Launch of a COVID-19 innovations site to share open-source specifications for related projects, including 3D-printed clips to affix face shields to protective bump caps.

For additional information regarding Deeres response to COVID-19, visit our Coronavirus Update Center."

Follow this link:

John Deere starts production of protective gear for health-care workers - KWQC-TV6

Dozens of cars line up outside Antioch hospital to thank health care workers – KRON4

Posted on by

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KRON) To know that they have so much love throughout our community, they should feel special and if they dont, I want every single one of them to feel the love we have for them.

On this Good Friday, dozens of cars lining the Antioch Kaiser parking lot tonight to say thank you to the hospital workers, flashing their car lights, praying and playing music to show their appreciation for all of their hard work and bravery during the coronavirus pandemic.

Event organizers say this is not the first hospital theyve done this at and it certainly wont be the last.

Families staying safely inside their cars, parking outside of Kaiser in Antioch, honking their horns and flashing their lights thanking hospital staff for saving lives and working during the coronavirus pandemic.

They are putting themselves on the front line like some of these people dont even come home to their family because they are afraid of what they may bring home so we just want them to feel comfort that we are there for them, Shasha Martinez said. If not in person from a distance that we are there for them we are praying for them we are thanking them and we just want them to know we appreciate them.

Dozens of people are parked in the parking lot. Nurses and staff are waving through the windows.

Thats what gets us going, they hear us they see us and we are not leaving, Martinez said.

I didnt expect this big of a turnout but obviously a lot of people were touched by it so I am really thankful, Tracy Chavez said.

Chavez organized the event. Earlier this month they parked outside John Muir in Walnut Creek thanking hospital workers there. They plan to park outside Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch on Saturday.

I was speechless. I couldnt even really speak, Chavez said. I was emotional. There were a lot of people who were there and were emotional.

We just want people to get recognized and to know that they are not alone we are there we are praying for them, we are rooting for them and we just want them to know theres hope, Martinex said. Theres hope.

At the end, we are going to get through this together

Latest News Headlines:

See the original post:

Dozens of cars line up outside Antioch hospital to thank health care workers - KRON4

Feed the Front Line is showing support to health care workers and small business owners – UpperMichigansSource.com

Posted on by

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - A newly formed Facebook group is hoping to show appreciation to local health care workers, while also supporting locally owned restaurants.

Feed the Front Line Marquette County is raising money, with a goal of feeding health care workers during this challenging time. Lunches are being delivered to different agencies when workers are on the job.

Less than a week ago, a GoFundMe was started to raise money for the effort. As of today, they are less than $200 away from reaching their fundraising goal.

I feel like our community is awesome, its unlike the bigger cities I've lived in, where its smaller enough where we support each other, and I just like its best to keep everybodies morale up and have people see that were supporting each other during out times of crisis, said Rachel Bannan-Hutter, Organizer of Feed the Front Lines - Marquette County.

To make a donation to the effort, click here.

Link:

Feed the Front Line is showing support to health care workers and small business owners - UpperMichigansSource.com

Trials of drugs to prevent coronavirus infection begin in health care workers – Science Magazine

Posted on by

Doctors see patients at a New Delhi hospital on 18 March. India recommends hydroxychloroquine for health care workers at risk of COVID-19.

By Kai KupferschmidtApr. 7, 2020 , 3:50 PM

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.

When malaria researcher Nicholas White saw coronavirus infections picking up around the world 2 months ago, he immediately thought of the impact they could have on poorer countries. In fragile health care systems, if you start knocking out a few nurses and doctors, the whole thing can collapse, says White, who is based at Mahidol University in Bangkok. So we realized that the priority would be to protect them.

White and his colleagues at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit wondered whether widely available drugs could help. They have designed atrialin which 40,000 doctors and nurses in Asia, Africa, and Europe will prophylactically receive chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, two old drugs against malaria. White hopes the trial will start this month, but its launch has been incredibly difficult because of bureaucratic processes, he says

The international study is one of several in preparation or underway that seek to use drugs for what is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a strategy already widely used against HIV. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding plans for another huge study that will test the same two drugs in Africa, North America, and Europe. Separate studies of the same drugs are planned or underway in the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, and Mexico. Researchers are also considering other potential preventives, including nitazoxanide, a drug used to treat parasitic infections, and the antibody-laden serum from people who have recovered from an infection.

If there was a drug that could prevent infections and that health care workers could take, that would be an enormous public health benefit, says Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, which is funding Whites effort.

PrEP studies of the malaria drugs could also be the best way to settle the heated debateinflamed by U.S. President Donald Trumps advocacyover whether they are a promising treatment for COVID-19, says virologist Matthew Frieman of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The weak and equivocal studies so far were mainly done in seriously ill patients. To show an effect you really have to treat early, Frieman says. I dont know any drug that works better late in infection. Giving a drug before exposure is as early as it gets.

White adds that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are good choices to test because they are widely availablea major consideration given the huge number of people who might be eligible for any drug that proves its worth. The attraction of these drugs is that they are potentially readily deployable and we know an awful lot about them.

In Whites proposed trial, health care workers in Asia will be randomized to take chloroquine or a placebo for 3 months, while hydroxychloroquine will be used in Africa and Europe. Participants have to take their temperature twice a day and report it, along with any symptoms, through an app or a website. The researchers will compare the number of symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in both groups, as well as the severity and duration of illness in those who become infected.

Meanwhile, a trial of a related approach called postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) started in Barcelona, Spain, in mid-March. The idea behind that study, born before Spains COVID-19 epidemic exploded, is that a short course of a drug might prevent disease or lessen its impact in health care workers, nursing home residents, and household contacts of COVID-19 patients who have already been exposed to the virus. We said, we need something stronger than nonpharmacological interventions like isolation and quarantine, says Oriol Mitj of the Germans Trias I Pujol University Hospital, who leads the study.

In the Spanish trial, people with symptoms who test positive for COVID-19 are treated with the HIV combination drug darunavir/cobicistat plus hydroxychloroquine. Anyone known to have spent more than 15 minutes with them in the previous 5 days is treated with hydroxychloroquine for 7days. Patients in a control group and their contacts receive no drugthere was no time to prepare an appropriate placebo, Mitj says.

The researchers plan to compare how many new symptomatic infections occur in the two groups after 14 days. More than 1000 contacts have been included already; the first result from that subset should be available around 15 April, Mitj says. Similar studies are underway in Minnesota, Washington, and New York.

Experience with HIV has shown that PrEP and PEP can work to reduce infections. But before large-scale studies in HIV began, scientists had an amazing amount of data from a monkey model and epidemiology studies suggesting the strategies would work, says Steven Deeks, an HIV researcher at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Im not sure any of that applies to whats happening now.

Potential side effects of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, including heart arrhythmia, are another concern. The risks that might be acceptable in someone with disease may be much less acceptable when you are treating someone who doesnt have it, says Annie Luetkemeyer, an infectious disease physician at UCSF. And youre very unlikely to be monitoring them in the same way.

Some countries arent waiting for the new trials. India, for instance, has already recommended hydroxychloroquine for health care workers caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as patients household contacts; Bangladesh has a similar policy. (White says he had to exclude both countries from the international study as a result.) There is no basis for recommending wide use of the drug, many scientists say. The idea that it is better than nothing is not true, White says. It could be worse than nothing.

Thats not just because of the potential side effects. People who think they are protected may also become less cautious and run a greater risk of infection. And broad use of the drugs will make them harder to obtain for other conditions. In addition to curing malaria, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are mainstays for patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, Luetkemeyer says. We better be really sure that these drugs are working before we start impacting that drug supply.

Because the demand could be so big, there has been some debate among researchers about which dose to test. White has decided to go with the highest possible dose, to maximize the chance of getting a positive result. But the Gates-funded study plan calls for evaluating medium and low doses as well. If one of those shows an effect, more patients could benefit if supplies are low.

Even if chloroquine works, it is unlikely to confer 100% protectionand a low level of protection may not make the risk of side effects worthwhile. If you were a health care worker and I said, Heres a medicine which you have to take every day and it reduces your risk of getting COVID-19 by 20%, would you take it? White asks. Below that, people probably wouldnt bother, he says.

White hopes to start the international trial on 22 April in the United Kingdom, but he is still navigating the myriad rules, regulations, and sequential hurdles that govern the conduct of clinical trials. No one is acting with ill intent, he adds, but he thinks the emergency warrants faster action. Is it really ethical to take 3 weeks to review an application for a medicine that has been available for 70 years?

*Clarification: 8 April, 9:30 a.m.: This story has been updated to clarify that the Spanish trialprotocol was changed to 7 days to reach a higher dose.

Read more:

Trials of drugs to prevent coronavirus infection begin in health care workers - Science Magazine

250,000 masks being distributed to health care facilities in NH – WMUR Manchester

Posted on by

New Hampshire Hospital has some much-needed masks -- thanks to a donation. Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday helped deliver 3,500 KN95 masks for staff at the hospital in Concord. The masks were donated by Peterborough company SoClean. New Hampshire Hospital said the donation is especially important because it was running low on personal protective equipment and had to conserve it.This was just critically important for our staff and our patients to do everything we can to reduce and mitigate risk for transmission of COVID, said New Hampshire Hospital CEO Heather Moquin.SoClean is giving 250,000 masks to more than 200 health care facilities across the state.Most of the facilities that are reaching out are smaller. It's nursing homes. It's elderly rehab facilities, said Eric Burbank, SoCleans vice president of operations.SoClean worked with private donors to get the money needed to make it happen. Through its program Masks for New Hampshire, 50 SoClean employees will make deliveries over the next week.Something like this has never happened before, but it's fabulous to see how everybody's coming together, said John Gargasz, the coordinator of Masks for New Hampshire.250,000 masks is, I think, barely scratching the surface of what New Hampshire needs, Burbank said. This is about the health care workers, and I think we all feel a little helpless not knowing what we can do to help them. They're the real heroes in this. Not us, he added.

New Hampshire Hospital has some much-needed masks -- thanks to a donation.

Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday helped deliver 3,500 KN95 masks for staff at the hospital in Concord. The masks were donated by Peterborough company SoClean.

New Hampshire Hospital said the donation is especially important because it was running low on personal protective equipment and had to conserve it.

This was just critically important for our staff and our patients to do everything we can to reduce and mitigate risk for transmission of COVID, said New Hampshire Hospital CEO Heather Moquin.

SoClean is giving 250,000 masks to more than 200 health care facilities across the state.

Most of the facilities that are reaching out are smaller. It's nursing homes. It's elderly rehab facilities, said Eric Burbank, SoCleans vice president of operations.

SoClean worked with private donors to get the money needed to make it happen. Through its program Masks for New Hampshire, 50 SoClean employees will make deliveries over the next week.

Something like this has never happened before, but it's fabulous to see how everybody's coming together, said John Gargasz, the coordinator of Masks for New Hampshire.

250,000 masks is, I think, barely scratching the surface of what New Hampshire needs, Burbank said.

This is about the health care workers, and I think we all feel a little helpless not knowing what we can do to help them. They're the real heroes in this. Not us, he added.

Continued here:

250,000 masks being distributed to health care facilities in NH - WMUR Manchester

Health care workers are wearing smiling photos of themselves on their PPE – WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland

Posted on by

CNN) Being in the hospital for coronavirus is scary enough. Then seeing your doctor or some other health care worker come in with a mask, glasses, hood and all the other protective gear? It can make a tough situation even harder.

Thats why Robertino Rodriguez, a respiratory therapist at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, put a laminated photo of his face along with his name on his PPE gear an effort to put his patients at ease. He shared his ideaon Instagramand has more than 30,000 likes.

Yesterday I felt bad for my patients in ER when I would come in the room with my face covered in PPE, Rodriguez wrote in the post. A reassuring smile makes a big difference to a scared patient. So today I made a giant laminated badge for my PPE. So my patients can see a reassuring and comforting smile.

Rodriguezs idea has inspired other healthcare workers, too.

Derek DeVault, a nurse in Los Angeles, and some of his coworkers took a cue from Rodriguez. He called the idea amazing.

These patients are alone in the hospital, not allowed visitors and surrounded by a care team thats covered head to toe in PPE, he told CNN. Seeing a picture of whos underneath could bring ease and comfort at such a stressful time.

Since January, there have been more than 491,000 Covid-19 cases in the US, and more than 18,000 have dieddue to the virus.The peak is expected to occur on Sunday,according to experts.

The rest is here:

Health care workers are wearing smiling photos of themselves on their PPE - WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland

Coronavirus In Minnesota: RV Owners Lending Their Domiciles To Keep Health Care Workers Families Safe – CBS Minnesota

Posted on by

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Families of health care workers are getting help staying safe, as hundreds of RV owners are lending their trailers to hospital staff so they can isolate but still be near loved ones.

An RV is now Joseph Stimacs home for the foreseeable future. His partner Cameron will be right outside, in the house.

Trying to figure out how to lock this, Stimac said.

He says hell live in the RV all summer while he works as a registered nurse in a hospital.

Its a matter of me really wanting to protect him from anything I might carry, he said.

The RV hell be living in belongs to Cory Lockhart and her fiance Jerry. They were strangers to Stimac rightup until they dropped off their Fish House trailer, driving it from Crystal to St Paul.

First time the Fish House ever went through downtown, Lockhart said.

They connected through a Facebook group called RVs for MDs.

At 23,000 members strong, its all about providing health care workers a way to isolate from family, without having to leave their property. The idea blossomed from one good deed in Texas Holly Haggard lending her trailer to Emily Phillips, whose husband is an ER doctor.

I think were just the messenger. This is a God thing. We just started that fire and other people are keeping it burn, Phillips said.

People like Cory.

Just knowing we put Josephs mind at ease, its really a feeling you cant describe, Lockhart said.

Stimac says the gesture shows how powerful simple kindness can be.

There is good that happens in the world and thats the part that moved me the most, Stimac said.

So far, 345 matches of RVs and health care families have been made.

See more here:

Coronavirus In Minnesota: RV Owners Lending Their Domiciles To Keep Health Care Workers Families Safe - CBS Minnesota

Erie County updates testing protocol to prioritize those connected to health care settings – WGRZ.com

Posted on by

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. Erie County announced Friday that changes would be made to their testing protocol for COVID-19.

The epidemiology office will now prioritize COVID-19 testing for:

People who fall into these categories do not have to have a testing request sent by their heath care provider. They can call (716) 858-2929, and choose option 2 to initiate the testing process.

Erie County will be scheduling sample collection for individuals suspected to have COVID-19 at sites within Erie County for next week.

If you fall into these categories and are scheduled for testing, you will be given isolation information when your sample is taken, and you will receive your results by phone.

The county continues to urge anyone with a fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-19 to contact their healthcare provider or physician for medical advice and instructions on how to manage their symptoms.

Kaleida Health is also expanding its testing capability to include other healthcare workers and first responders.

They say this testing includes testing Catholic Health and Veterans Hospital employees plus Buffalo Fire Department and Buffalo Police Department personnel as well paramedics/EMTs from AMR Ambulance, Twin City and volunteer fire/EMS companies. Those who are symptomatic or who believe they need to be tested should also call the Erie County Coronavirus Hotline, (716) 858-2929.

RELATED: One new COVID-19 death on Friday brings Erie County COVID-19 deaths to 53

RELATED: More than 125 WNY area healthcare workers have COVID-19 virus

RELATED: Out of quarantine: Buffalo woman talks about recovering from COVID-19

See original here:

Erie County updates testing protocol to prioritize those connected to health care settings - WGRZ.com

Jerry Falwell Jr. Has a Free Speech Problem – Reason

Posted on by

Jerry Falwell, Jr., president of the evangelical Liberty University, has long positioned himself as a torch-bearer of free expression. "Free speech and intellectual diversity are two of the most important pillars of a college education," he wrote last June. "That's why I urge every college and university in the country to encourage open political discourse on their own campusesjust as we do at Liberty University."

Falwell is now demanding the arrest of two reporters he accuses of painting his school in a negative light.

In an interview with radio host Todd Starnes, Falwell derided reporters at The New York Times andProPublicafor how they covered his decision to partially reopen Liberty amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Both pieces, he claimed, unfairly portrayed Liberty's attitude toward the coronavirus as flippant and careless. He singled out, for example, Times journalist Elizabeth Williamson's characterization of a conversation she had with local physician Thomas W. Eppes, Jr.: Williamson wrote that Eppes told her "nearly a dozen Liberty students were sick with symptoms that suggested Covid-19." Although one eventually tested positive, Falwell said the presumptive cases never numbered as high as 12a depiction he cast as "sensational click-bait."

And so the university president secured arrest warrants for Times photographer Julia Rendlemanand ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis for trespassing, a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. He told Starnes that an additional warrant is coming against someone affiliated with another "big time liberal news organization." (There is no warrant against Williamson because she did not take any photographs, so there's no physical proof that she was on campus.) Falwell also maintained that "lawsuits will be filed" against The New York Times if a retraction or Liberty-friendly correction isn't issued regarding the contagion numbers.

It's possible that Falwell is just trying to engage in some crisis PR. It's also possible that Williamson misunderstood or mischaracterized Eppes' comments. The veracity of the story isn't the point here. The point is Falwell's attempt to arrest people associated with reports he feels are biased against himnot the recourse you'd expect from someone who seriously sees his university as a bulwark of free expression.

"It is clear that Falwell is engaged in a campaign of petty retribution against journalists who write articles critical of the university," says Ari Cohn, a free speech lawyer and former director at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). "But that's actually completely in line with Liberty University's faux concern for freedom of expression. Falwell's idea of freedom of expression on campus includes only expression that he approves of."

The trespassing charges aren't likely to hold up in court: The reporters involved were photographing a student who invited them to campus for an interview. But who really believes that the alleged trespassing is Falwell's concern here? He wants to intimidate people who criticize his school.

That same browbeating culture is alive and well within the institution's walls. Calum Best, the student interviewed by both The New York Times andProPublica, described an angry phone call he received from Scott Lamb, the college's senior vice president for university communications, after he wrote a Facebook post arguing for tuition refunds amid COVID-19. Lamb included Best's work-study boss on the call.

"I thought I was in deep trouble for some professional failure," Best wrote on Medium. "But, as the call went on, I realized my boss had no need to be there, and had no connection to the matter at hand."

That heavy-handedness tracks with how Falwell and his associates oversee Champion, Liberty University's student paper. Will E. Young, the former editor-in-chief, wrote last year that Falwell actively got in the way of Trump-critical coverage, at one point removing a student op-ed lamenting Trump's Access Hollywood tape. The author of that erstwhile column, Joel Schmieg, took to Facebook to air the grievance and was promptly contacted by a faculty adviser, who reprimanded him for doing so. Schmieg then resigned.

As a private institution, Liberty University can set its own rules of conduct. But it's the height of hypocrisy to muzzle student speech while making a show of opposing censorship. And the university president isn't just dealing with a newspaper on its own turf: With these warrants, Falwell is leveraging state power to try to stop speech by private actors whose only connection to his school is to write about it. It's a bad approach for anyone to take, but especially someone who claims to support free expression and intellectual diversity.

The rest is here:

Jerry Falwell Jr. Has a Free Speech Problem - Reason

Don’t let free speech be a casualty of coronavirus. We need it more than ever – The Guardian

Posted on by

In times of crisis, liberal democratic institutions and values are vulnerable to authoritarian power grabs, or corona coups, as we are seeing around the world today. One of the first victims, as always, is freedom of speech. But the current attack on free speech is particularly dangerous, because it does not only target, reasonably, fake news on coronavirus, but also critique of inadequacies in hospitals by healthcare workers.

Repressive measures against fake news have been a popular topic for years now, having reached feverish levels in the wake of the 2016 US presidential elections. Even though the actual effects of fake news and Russian interference remain unclear and highly disputed, many mainstream politicians have convinced themselves that the spread of fake news is one of the main reasons that they are losing votes and power to populists.

Social media platforms are pressured into fighting fake news and a true cottage industry of factcheckers has emerged many reputable, some not. Still, too little progress has been made. This is not that surprising, though, given the daily barrage of fake news coming out of some of the most powerful political offices in the world, including Downing Street and the White House.

Since the term was popularized by Donald Trump, it should come as no surprise that populists in power have enthusiastically embraced the fight against fake news. And now the coronavirus has given them an opportunity to intensify that fight by passing draconian new laws, allegedly to prevent fake news from worsening the crisis.

One of the worst examples, as so often in recent years, comes out of Hungary, where the rubber stamp parliament has passed a set of emergency measures without actually facing an emergency (as of 31 March, Hungary has officially had only 492 cases, including 16 deaths) to give the far-right prime minister Viktor Orbn dictatorial powers. As Orbn rules by decree, anything that he deems fake news will be punishable to up to five years in prison a death sentence for independent media, in so far as it still exists in Hungary.

Perhaps even more dangerous is the attack on the free speech of people at the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus: healthcare workers. These are the people best informed about the situation, and thus the best potential antidotes to fake news. Yet, according to the Independent, British NHS doctors are being gagged over protective equipment shortages, while NHS England has taken control of communications for many NHS hospitals and staff.

In the US, one of the few western democracies without a universal public healthcare system, individual private hospitals are doing the censoring. Prioritizing their brand and profits over the health of their patients and staff, private hospitals across the US have threatened staff with termination if they speak out about the lack of protective gear. Several hospital staff have already been fired after speaking out, an incredible waste of crucial but sparse resources during a pandemic.

Leaving aside the problem of employers regulating the speech of their employees, incidentally an increasingly common development (even at universities), censoring healthcare professionals is outright dangerous to the broader community. These are the people who actually have day-to-day experience with the coronavirus and risk their lives to help others particularly if their employers dont provide them with adequate protective gear.

Free speech makes us more rather than less safe, both as citizens and patients

Moreover, we know how dangerous this type of censorship is from recent experiences in China. Max Fisher has written an excellent New York Times expos of how Chinas authoritarian structure had worsened the countrys response to the coronavirus outbreak. And western media have devoted ample attention to the tragic case of Li Wenliang, the Chinese whistleblower doctor who died of the coronavirus in February.

The irony is that some of the same politicians who support, or at least allow, the censorship of healthcare professionals in their own country have been outspoken critics of the Chinese approach. For instance, the British cabinet minister Michael Gove recently blamed China for failing to stop the spread of coronavirus, while Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House foreign affairs committee, even called Chinas response one of the worst cover-ups in human history.

To ensure that we are not making the same mistakes as China, and to protect the health and lives of the heroic healthcare workers (including the many volunteers) who are putting their lives on the line every day to keep us alive and healthy, we must resist these dangerous attacks on free speech, as well as other unnecessary authoritarian measures in response to the coronavirus crisis. Irrespective of the hype about fake news, free speech makes us more rather than less safe, both as citizens and patients, even in times of a health crisis.

Excerpt from:

Don't let free speech be a casualty of coronavirus. We need it more than ever - The Guardian

A Contrarian’s View of the Uses, and Abuses, of Free Speech – Jewish Week

Posted on by

Most citizens in the United States take the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech as a source of patriotic pride. We have been taught that all speech is protected. Bad speech is overcome with good speech. No matter how much harm speech inflicts, when the First Amendment is in question, the Supreme Court feels it is its duty to defend all speech.

Thane Rosenbaum, a lawyer, novelist and Distinguished University Professor at Touro College, disagrees. In his informative and highly readable book, Saving Free Speech from Itself (Fig Tree Books), he explains how many of our assumptions about freedom of speech and the law are either incorrect as a matter of history or rest on a thin scaffolding of flawed reasoning. At the same time he shows there are many instances where America is shutting down free speech. In Rosenfelds view the time has come to save free speech from itself. His book deserves serious consideration in our current political and educational climate.

I must admit to being surprised to learn how little I understood the First Amendment. The Founding Fathers implicitly assumed free speech to mean that the government could not suppress any expression against the government, nor could private individuals be coerced into propagating government propaganda. In other words, free speech was initially a buffer against dictatorship and limited to freedom from government control. In 1919, this changed with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.s stirring dissent in Abrams v. United States, which won over the American public by arguing that restraints on private speech were permissible only when speech constituted a present danger of immediate evil or an intent to bring it about essentially, the dont shout fire in a crowded theater test.

Rosenbaum attempts to reframe our assumptions about freedom of speech.

As Rosenbaum shows, free speech protection for private individuals is now used to violate peoples privacy and dignity. He describes how in 2011, the Supreme Court, in an 8-to-1 decision, overturned a jury verdict against the Westboro Baptist Church. The church set up a protest at the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, chanting slurs against gays and holding up signs reading God hates America and Thank God for dead soldiers.

Get Jewish Week's Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

Heartbroken by the fiasco of a funeral, the soldiers father sued. The 8-1 majority set aside all consideration for the family, piously invoked the right to free speech and further ordered that Snyder pay the churchs $16,000 in costs.

In other instances, Rosenbaum shows how the First Amendment is used to protect hate speech. Holocaust deniers and KKK members as well as possibly more benign flat earth and fake moon landing believers have all advanced their agendas under the umbrella of free speech. And most alarmingly he gives examples of how it is used to protect potentially fatal substances. Purveyors of, say, fake coronavirus cures and treatments can be sued on product claims, but anybody can get up on a street corner and make any claim that they want.

The coronavirus outbreak has also reminded us of the necessity of free speech as the Founding Fathers defined it. Dr. Li Wenliang, the Wuhan ophthalmologist who early on tried to warn the Chinese medical community about the virus potency, was forced by Communist Party authorities to recant his false comments. How many lives might have been saved if his speech had been free.

Dr. Lis warning is exactly the kind of free speech the First Amendment was trying to protect. Rosenbaum shows, however, that todays free speech is too often serving a different function. He writes: Here is what the First Amendment should never be called upon to protect: groups of nativists shouting Muslims Go Home; neo-Nazis marching through a hamlet [of] Holocaust survivors ; burning crosses on the lawns of African Americans; showing up to a military funeral to make ones hatred of homosexuals plainly known. They are, in fact, neither ideas nor debates. They are orgies of hate that amount to non-speech. Lets stop pretending we cannot tell the difference.

While this is not an explicitly Jewish book, Rosenbaums exploration of the harm caused by current applications of free speech will resonate with Jewish readers. His arguments about human dignity and free speech echo within the biblical notion of the image of God. Likewise he shows how Talmudic dictates that compare slander to physical harm and even death are backed up by modern scientific research that demonstrates that false speech can cause physical harm.

In an era in which American society has become radically polarized, Rosenbaum sets out to bridge the liberal-conservative divide, at least when it comes to permitted speech. He asks us to address some of our core ideas about American ideals. Not a bad thing to do when the government is ordering us to stay sheltered in place for the good of all Americans.

Scott A. Shay is chairman and co-founder of Signature Bank of New York and is the author of In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism (Post Hill Press, 2018).

Read the original post:

A Contrarian's View of the Uses, and Abuses, of Free Speech - Jewish Week

[RECAP] What Professors Need to Know about Online Hate and Harassment – PEN America

Posted on by

An online forum hosted by PEN Americas Campus Free Speech Program

NEW YORKThis week, PEN Americas Campus Free Speech Program launched a webinar series, Free Speech and the Virtual Campus, with an inaugural session devoted to What Professors Need to Know about Online Hate and Harassment. Hundreds of participants viewed the session from seven countries, as panelists discussed online attacks and abuse that faculty can prepare for, defend against, and combat.

Viktorya Vilk, program director for digital safety and free expression at PEN America, discussed how online abuse can be defined and outlined the chilling, censoring effects it can have on writers and journalists. She summarized recent trends and offered advice, drawn from PEN Americas Online Harassment Field Manual, on how to protect ones identity, how to document online abuse, and how to be a supportive ally to those targeted. She explained that women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are disproportionately targeted by abuse and hate, which risks silencing the voices of those who have historically been marginalized in higher education and society writ large. She emphasized that offering institutional support and allyship to students, faculty, and staff targeted by online abuse is critical to ensuring that higher education is more equitable and diverse.

Oren Segal, vice president at the Center on Extremism at the Anti-Defamation League, discussed the rise in white supremacists and extremists using online spaces to spread hate, and their efforts to use the pandemic to reach new audiences. Segal noted that just like everyone else, extremists are also home now, engaging in online aggression, like Zoombombing. Despite some extremists affiliating themselves to hate groups, Segal emphasized that the majority of offenders are lone actors, making some of their actions hard to predict. Segal shared ADLs tips on preventing Zoombombing as well as their hate symbols database, as a reference for faculty to familiarize themselves with.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor of Education and Sociology at American University, spoke about the current threat of youth radicalization, with K-12 and college students now spending greater amounts of time online. She detailed how faculty members could prepare for such threats proactively, by updating their awareness of hate symbols and familiarizing themselves with digital platforms, as well as getting to know their security settings and available restrictions. She also offered advice for faculty and administrators in the aftermath of an incident of hate or harassment, elaborating on how faculty might deal with the after-effects of a Zoombombing incident in an online class.

Various questions and concerns were also taken up by panelists, as posed from the audience, including:

Link:

[RECAP] What Professors Need to Know about Online Hate and Harassment - PEN America

United Voices for ASU candidates receive three infraction points – The State Press

Posted on by

Elections commissioner says social media posts were a threat to ASU and President Michael Crow

Illustration published on Monday,March 20, 2017.

All seven Undergraduate Student Government Senate candidates in the United Voices for ASU coalition received three infraction points on their campaigns after a complaint was filed against their members' social media activity.

Judah Waxelbaum, chairman of the Arizona Federation of College Republicans and a junior studying political science, filed the complaint on April 5 citing the Arizona Board of Regents code of conduct that says behavior that could "present a risk or danger to the health, safety or security" of ABOR, the University, students or University property is prohibited.

"The Elections Department has reasonable evidence to believe that the United Voices for ASU Senatorial Ticket has raised reasonable concern for the risk or danger of the University community due to their tweets related to ASU President Micheal Crow," the decision says.

The decision, made by Elections Commissioner Carla Naranjo, recognizes that students have a right to free speech and political expression but says the social media posts contained in the complaint are threatening toward Crow.

The decision points out that USG is a nonpartisan governing body for all undergraduate students, something that the coalition's interactions on social media make hard to believe they would carry out, said Waxelbaum.

Waxelbaum said he was "disturbed" by the content in social media posts by members of the coalition which include profane language toward Crow, the University and suggest yelling to uphold their platform. The complaint also highlights tweets that depict violent actions toward federal presidential candidates.

"They don't seem interested in listening to those who they disagree with," Waxelbaum said. "And they're endorsed by community members and organizations that have no interest in civil dialogue."

United Voices for ASU's four-point platform demands refunds from the University for in-person tuition and housing, curved grading, free internet and transparency surrounding their response to COVID-19.

A week into campaigning, endorsements and coalitions are forming around candidates. The United Voices for ASU coalition and all of the candidates running have been endorsed by political student clubs like ASU Young Democratic Socialists of America, Students for Socialism and MECHA de ASU.

Other groups rallying around an issue like Students for Justice in Palestine and ASU No Mas Muertes have also endorsed the coalition. Clubs representing cultural groups like the African Students' Association, the Association of Latino Professionals for America and El Concilio have all voiced their support.

The coalition wants to represent what they call a minority at the University by building grassroots relationships and "representing the interests of all."

"When all of us stand together with unity, we have more chances of seeing a drastic change," said Alexia Isais, senatorial candidate for The College, member of United Voices and a sophomore studying political science.

While the coalition admits that they're proud of their resilience, other political clubs on campus haven't been too sure of their motives.

"I'm concerned that students might vote on the platform of reform due to COVID-19," said President of ASU College Libertarians, David Howman, a graduate student studying justice studies. "It's a talking point, not a real plan for unity."

Howman voiced that he was worried that those running with the coalition were in "pursuit of their own ideologies" and would set a "double-edged precedent" if people with partisan ideas joined a nonpartisan organization.

But United Voices members believe that other senatorial candidates had been more political than them. Members of the coalition said that their endorsements only represent niche groups of people who say they have never been heard before by USG or the University administration and might have a chance now.

"We're the underdogs in this election," said Bridget Saidu, senatorial candidate for The College, member of United Voices and sophomore studying philosophy and justice studies.

Another member added that the argument that the group was too political had no real grounds.

"USG is not apolitical, it's nonpartisan," said Daniel Lopez, senatorial candidate for The College, member of United Voices and junior studying philosophy and political science. "It's for helping students," he said, with everything from housing, food insecurity to discrimination, all things that he said are inherently political.

A campaign for USG is effectively suspended when the candidate receives nine infraction points.

"The level of punishment is unfortunate," Waxelbaum said. "The commissioner needs to take a serious closer look."

Campaigning began on March 30 and will end on April 14 when voting begins. Students will vote digitally on April 14 and 15 and results will be announced on April 16.

Editor's Note: Alexia Isais worked as an opinion columnist for The State Press in 2019. She was not involved in the reporting or editing of this story.

Reach the reporter at pjhanse1@asu.edu and follow @piperjhansen on Twitter.

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.

View post:

United Voices for ASU candidates receive three infraction points - The State Press

Telling churches to cancel in-person services is not a violation of the First Amendment, expert says – WHAS11.com

Posted on by

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Both Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer have recommended faith leaders not to host in-person services as the coronavirus outbreak continues.

During his Thursday press briefing, Beshear said 54 positive cases and six deaths were linked to a church revival in Hopkins County. He encouraged leaders to host services or studies online instead.

Still, one Bullitt County pastor said he refuses to comply as his First Amendment rights are at stake. Pastor Jack Roberts at Maryville Baptist Church said he's offering an online option but continues to hold services in-person, including a Wednesday night bible study.

Attorney Mat Staver, who represents Roberts, called the orders unconstitutional.

"Home Depot has no right to exist under the Constitution, churches do," Staver said. "You don't throw that out simply in times of crisis, you have to balance that right with the safety of the people."

While the First Amendment does protect freedom of religion, the University of Louisville law professor Sam Marcosson said the governor is in the right.

"The only First Amendment right that the church has is not to be singled out for differential treatment," Marcosson said. "So, if the governor was allowing sporting events but not churches, then they had a claim."

Marcosson compared churches remaining open during the pandemic to a person yelling fire in a theater.

"You're not allowed to falsely yell fire in a crowded theater," Marcosson said. "Yes, you have a right to free speech, but you can't exercise that right in a way that puts other people in danger."

Dr. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said the governor is within his rights.

"There's not a First Amendment violation here," Mohler said.

He did, though, have a problem with Fischer saying no to drive-thru services. While Beshear supported Fischer's decision, he did not say he would make that recommendation for the state. Mohler said not allowing drive-thru services would single out churches.

"Religious liberty at the very least means that religious institutions cannot be singled out, if you can [have a] drive-thru a liquor store, you should be allowed to do a drive-thru service," Mohler said.

RELATED: Maryville Baptist Church holds Bible study against Gov. Beshear's recommendation

RELATED: Some churches to hold Easter services despite Beshear, Fischer's recommendations

RELATED: Passover, Good Friday and Easter: How to celebrate virtually during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.

Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Visit link:

Telling churches to cancel in-person services is not a violation of the First Amendment, expert says - WHAS11.com

Campus Free Speech Organization FIRE Is Protecting the Rights of Students Online – Breitbart

Posted on by

The Foundation for Individual Right in Education (FIRE) says that it will defend the rights of college students in online college classes to ensure thatacademic freedom and freedom of expression are protected during the Chinese virus pandemic.

The free speech organization vows to continue to defend the rights of students as universities transition toward greater use of technology to ensure that basic civil liberties are not compromised.

FIREs statement arrives on the heels ofrecent Zoom bombings a type of cyber attack in which Zoom video conferencing meetings are hacked by unwelcome visitors.

The video conference app which has surged in popularity due to an increase of virtual meetings across the country in response to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has garnered an influx of complaints from users who have had their virtual meetings hijacked.

The incidents have even elicited a response from New YorkAttorney General Letitia James, who sent a letterto Zoom with a number of questions to ensure the company is taking appropriate steps to ensure users privacy and security, according to a spokesperson.

Now, FIRE has issued reasonable steps for students, faculty, and administrators to take in order to protect their virtual classrooms while ensuring that the First Amendment rights of students are upheld.

Reasonable steps may include controlling students microphone access; imposing reasonable, viewpoint-neutral requirements on student use of virtual backgrounds; and asking students to disable their camera, said the organization in a recentstatement.

Faculty, or the administrator of the virtual classroom if not the professor, may restrict the ability of unauthorized individuals to access and disrupt class sessions using the platforms security settings, protecting their and their students right to a disruption-free environment, FIRE added.

The organization went on to state that faculty should recognize that students attending classes from their residences or remote locations may have limited control over their immediate physical surroundings, and should take reasonable steps to accommodate students in the manner that best approximates an in-person classroom experience.

Like faculty, studentsexpressive rights in the virtual classroom should mirror those afforded to them when attending class on campus, added FIRE. Students must be given the opportunity to participate in online learning free from discrimination, harassment, and other undue interference with their educational pursuits.

As is always the case, students must not be subjected to discrimination by their professors based on their viewpoint or opinion, which strikes at the core of both the First Amendment and liberal education, the organization affirmed.

You can follow AlanaMastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.

Excerpt from:

Campus Free Speech Organization FIRE Is Protecting the Rights of Students Online - Breitbart

Suspending the Campaign, Not the Movement: Bernie Sanders Pulls Out of 2020 Race But Will Stay on Ballot – Free Speech TV

Posted on by

Senator Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, making former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive nominee to face Donald Trump in November. Sanders says he will stay on the ballot in remaining primary races and continue to assemble delegates.

DN plays highlights from Sanderss speech to supporters in a live stream on Wednesday. Together, we have transformed American consciousness as to what kind of nation we can become, and have taken this country a major step forward in the never-ending struggle for economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice, he said.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzlez.

Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the worlds most pressing issues.

On DN!, youll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Missed an episode? Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change.

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling and online at freespeech.org.

2020 Democratic Presidential nomination Amy Goodman Bernie Sanders Democracy Now! Donald Trump Free Speech TV Joe Biden

See the article here:

Suspending the Campaign, Not the Movement: Bernie Sanders Pulls Out of 2020 Race But Will Stay on Ballot - Free Speech TV

The New York Times Is Great, but Wholl Cover Your Community? – Slate

Posted on by

Mi-Ai Parrish (top left), Kyle Pope (top right), and Suzanne Nossel (bottom middle)

Screenshot from Zoom

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the local news industry was a patient who already had all the underlying health conditions, said Mi-Ai Parrish, the former publisher of the Arizona Republic.

Now, local news is a patient in critical condition. Each day brings a new round of layoffs and pay cuts for journalists, a new slowing down of a printing press, and a new silence in communities that need accurate, updated, and tailored information. This is the tragic irony of our current moment: The COVID-19 pandemic is underscoring the critical importance of local news while also decimating it.

Considering this contradiction and examining paths forward were at the heart of Future Tenses most recent web event in our yearlong Free Speech Project series, which is examining the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech.

In communities across the U.S., local journalists have kept their communities informed throughout the pandemic about things like how many tests are available, where to go to get the resources they need, whats happening with their schools, what shortages their hospitals facethe sort of crucial, community-level coverage that large national publications like the New York Times cant.

Local news coverage during the pandemic hasnt just been about tallying cases. Kyle Pope, the editor and publisher of Columbia Journalism Review, noted that outlets have also shone a spotlight on social problemsthings like existing issues in county jails, the lack of capacity for digital learning in schools, and resource gaps at hospitals.

We think of local journalists as first responders, said Suzanne Nossel, the CEO of PEN America, a membership organization of writers dedicated to protecting free expression. Indeed, news organizations have been widely designated as essential businesses during the pandemic.

Recognizing the importance of their work to their communities, many news organizations have taken down paywalls for their COVID-19 coverage, an honorable decision which highlights an interesting conundrum, said Parrish, currently the Sue Clark-Johnson Professor in Media Innovation and Leadership at Arizona State University. (Disclosure: ASU is a partner with Slate and New America in Future Tense.) Outside of emergency situations, people often argue against paywalls by claiming that journalism is so vital that it should be freebut whats lost in that argument is that precisely because journalism is so vital, it needs the financial backing of its audience.

Unfortunately, convincing people to pay for journalism, particularly online journalism, is difficult.

Theres still sort of a hangover from the days where everything on the internet was free and people expected it to be free, Nossel said.

In a November report, PEN America found that over the past 15 years, newspapers have lost over $35 billion in ad revenue and 47 percent of newsroom staff. In many cases, the report notes, the digital shift has collapsed local newsrooms business models.

Without even taking into consideration the impact of our current pandemic, $35 billion represents a massive funding gap, one not easily bridged. Doing so requires recognition among the public that journalism is a necessary public serviceand perhaps government funding.

The most recent stimulus bill, as Nossel and Viktorya Vilk recently highlighted in Future Tense, includes almost no support for the journalism industry. But several organizations, including PEN America, are calling for future stimulus funding to include a special focus on local news organizations.

Government funding for journalism is controversial in the U.S., with critics citing concerns over editorial independence. But there are successful models for maintaining independence despite government funding in areas such as scientific research and the arts, Nossel said.

Perhaps this stimulus phase can kind of destigmatize the idea of expanding public funding and catalyze a robust, in-depth debate, she said.

One thing thats clear is that solutions are urgent. More than 2,100 newspapers have disappeared since 2004, according to University of North Carolina professor Penny Muse Abernathy. And that was before the pandemic. Once they disappear, they do not come back, said Nossel. So theres a finality at stake here.

Ultimately, said Pope, the problem local news faces is so daunting that theres no rescue big enough thats going to come from the outside. Rescuing local news requires community buy-in and community boots on the ground.

To get their communities to rally around them, said Pope, its incumbent on these news organizations to humanize themselves.

There are lots of ways to do this. It may involve sitting with your critical readers to discuss concerns over barbecue. It may involve, as Pope once did, parking an RV on the streets of Manhattan and opening the doors to community members with concerns, comments, questions, and tips. It wont always be easy.

But luckily, local news organizations have two big things going for them on this front. First, the majority of Americans trust local television, newspapers, and radio (more so than national news sources), and this trust increases with increased contact with local reporters.

The second, Parrish highlighted, is that among local journalists there is still so much heart for the work, despite constant challenges. After the 2016 election of Donald Trump, journalism schools across the country saw a surge in class sizes, and the panelists said it was reasonable to expect a similar reaction in the months following the pandemic.

Pope said his largest source of hope is local journalists commitment to telling stories that matterthe type of commitment that has them emailing CJR the day after theyve been laid off with an idea for a new, important story that theyre ready to report.

This hope is especially important in the face of the industrys uncertain future.

Its like everything that were living through right now. None of us know where the other side is, Pope said. I live in New York City and every day I look for glimmers of hope in the data, and some days I see it and some days I dont [W]e have to get through that phase first, and then we can start looking at the battlefield and sort of say, Where do we go now?

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.

Go here to read the rest:

The New York Times Is Great, but Wholl Cover Your Community? - Slate

FCC Rejects Petition that Would Have Dangerously Curtailed Free Speech – Breitbart

Posted on by

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of General Counsel and Media Bureau rejected a petition by the progressive Free Press on Monday to weaponize the agency against broadcasters and conservatives to censor political speech.

Free Press recently petitioned the FCC to censor broadcasters from showing President Donald Trumps press conferences on the coronavirus outbreak.

When the president tells dangerous lies about a public health emergency, broadcasters have a choice: dont air them, or put those lies in context with disclaimers noting that they may be untrue and are unverified, Free Presswrote in its petition. And certainly the FCC has a duty to rein in radio broadcasters that seed confusion with lies and disinformation.

The FCC denied the petition in a letter to the Free Press, contending that the proposal misconstrues the Commissions rules and seeks remedies that would dangerously curtail the freedom of the press embodied in the First Amendment.

Pai said:

Under my leadership, the FCC has always stood firmly in defense of Americans First Amendment freedoms, including freedom of the press. And so long as I am Chairman of this agency, we always will. The federal government will notand never shouldinvestigate broadcasters for their editorial judgments simply because a special interest group is angry at the views being expressed on the air as well as those expressing them. In short, we will not censor the news. Instead, consistent with the First Amendment, we leave it to broadcasters to determine for themselves how to cover this national emergency, including live events involving our nations leaders.

In its letter to Free Press, the FCC concluded that:

The FCC letter noted lobbying broadcasters to add disclosures would add significant burdens, which could chill news coverageat a time when information is one of the only weapons the American public has to protect itself from a contagious and deadly virus.

The agency added that free speech serves as the best tool for finding the truth. The FCC noted:

The rapid and comprehensive coverage of the present pandemic, free from burdensome disclaimers, agency investigation, or other government oversight, advances the public interest in maximizing information flow, while facilitating the vetting of statements by public officials via the ordinary journalistic process.

In short, we will not second-guess broadcasters (much less deploy the formal investigative power of the state against them) that are serving a critical function in providing the public comprehensive coverage of the current public health crisis and the governments response.

We leave to the press its time-honored and constitutionally protected role in testing the claims made by our political leadersas well as those made by national advocacy organizations.

The Federal Communications Commission believes that freedom of the press is essential to a free society and a functioning democracy, the FCC concluded in its letter to Free Press.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

Original post:

FCC Rejects Petition that Would Have Dangerously Curtailed Free Speech - Breitbart