The case for ignoring censorship orders
AP Photo/Jim Wells
Bars on publication, also known as prior restraints, are a serious violation of free speech.
The First Amendment forbids nearly all orders barring the press from publishing information, also known as prior restraints. But that doesn’t stop the government from trying.
For nearly 100 years, the Supreme Court has consistently rejected prior restraints on the press, including in its famous decision in the Pentagon Papers case. But lower courts and government officials continue to violate the Constitution by trying to gag the press from publishing, withholding vital information from the public. Prior restraints are antithetical to press freedom and must be stopped.
Featured Items
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FPF statement on inexcusable arrests of Alabama journalists
Grand jury secrecy rules are not prior restraints on journalism
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Ambiguous gag order could silence the press in North Carolina
If the court did not intend to censor the media, it needs to promptly clarify to avoid chilling press freedom
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Judge gets it wrong in censoring the Post-Dispatch
An unconstitutional order once again extends a prior restraint on newspaper
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Freeze out: Politicians retaliate against the press using public notices
Anti-press lawmakers are attacking the press by yanking contracts to publish public notices or ending requirements to publish notices in newspapers entirely
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All eyes are rightfully on Marion, but these ten other press freedom violations also deserve attention
The raid in Kansas was uniquely egregious but it was far from the only newsworthy recent attack on the press
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FPF statement on withdrawal of Kansas search warrant
Authorities finally did the right thing, but the Record never should have been raided in the first place
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Proposals targeting Fox News are sure to backfire
Once legislators start singling out disfavored speech for punishment there’s no telling where they’ll stop
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Bill to counter drone misuse threatens journalism
A new bill to protect against drone attacks would let the government take aim at the press
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SCOTUS reaffirms vital protections against retaliatory defamation claims
Recent case marks latest setback for politicians who want to bankrupt their critics with litigation
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Upcoming trial of journalists only tip of anti-press iceberg in Asheville
Search warrant and park bans show officials’ unusual hostility to free speech as June 12 trial approaches
