FEPP Archives - Commentaries - 2003

Media Researchers Cancel
(November 21, 2003) - Why did two media violence researchers back out of their scheduled appearance at the FTC?

The Media Democracy Movement Goes to Madison
(November 14, 2003) - A report from the front lines on the movement for media reform, diversity, and an end to corporate domination of public discourse.

The Crumbling Wall of Church-State Separation
(October 29, 2003) - Why the Pledge of Allegiance case is not the most important church-state issue before the Supreme Court in the 2003 term.

MATRIX and the New Surveillance States
(October 16, 2003) - Senior Research Fellow Nancy Kranich describes the perils of our newest data-mining technology.

Update on the Perils of the "USA PATRIOT Act"
(August 27, 2003) - An update from Senior Research Fellow Nancy Kranich on the chilling effects of the government's new surveillance powers.

New Government Report is a Sales Pitch for Internet Filters
(August 20, 2003) - The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's flawed new report naively accepts the claims of filter manufacturers.

More Than Seven Dirty Words
(August 4, 2003) - The FCC's threat to revoke broadcast licenses because of vulgar radio content focuses on a truly gross call-in show describing such bizarre sexual practices as "the Rusty Trombone," but the broader issue is the unconstitutionality of the agency's vague "indecency" standard.

Ignoring the Irrationality of Internet Filters, the Supreme Court Upholds CIPA
(June 24, 2003) - The Supreme Court's decision allowing Congress to mandate Internet filters in public libraries as a condition of federal aid ignores or understates the massive censorious effects of filters. In many ways, they are more insidious than flat bans on "indecent" speech.

The Impact of the USA PATRIOT Act on Free Expression
(May 5, 2003) - FEPP Senior Research Fellow Nancy Kranich surveys the chilling effects of the government's broad, new, secret surveillance powers.

Words on Fire: Book Censorship in America Today
(March 13, 2003) - At the opening of Boston's Words on Fire festival commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first Nazi book burnings, a survey of book censorship in America today.

The Strange Case of Sarah Jones
(January 24, 2003; updated February 20, 2003) - Where does the federal government get the power to ban a feminist rap poem?

The Frozen Public Domain
(January 17, 2003) - The Supreme Court's January 15, 2003 decision upholding the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act was a disappointment for those who believe in a vibrant public domain.