Phil Robertson was suspended by A&E for bigoted comments in GQ. Conservatives cry foul, but it hardly violates his rightsThe right to free speech isn't just a fundamental American value; it's enshrined in the first amendment to our constitution. If only the most loud-mouthed among us actually understood what it says. Here's what the First Amendment offers: you can say, write or publish pretty much whatever you want, no matter how offensive (with a few exceptions), and the government can't step in and censor you or put you in jail. Here's what the first amendment doesn't do: allow you to say, write or publish whatever you want, no matter how offensive, and also entitle you to a giant pay check from your starring role on a cable reality TV show.This isn't exactly Harvard-level legal theory, but many Republicans, Christian organizations and garden-variety tweeters enjoy spouting off about their love of freedom and the Constitution while remaining disturbingly unaware of what the Bill of Rights actually says and means. The right-wing passion for a set of ideals they claim to revere – but remain ignorant of – is not new, but it's news again this week. They're up in arms at the suspension of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson for a series of homophobic and bigoted remarks he made to GQ magazine. Professional consequences for bigoted comments, they say, violate the constitutional right to free speech.Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said: Phil Robertson and his family are great... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
This celebration of bookish snark, won by AA Gill for his Morrissey assault, is less daring and less worthy than it thinksIt's the middle of a wet, wet winter, unaccountably you haven't shed the pounds or learnt the cello as per the optimism of 1 Jan, and to make matters even worse, Valentine's... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Justin Smith, CEO of Bloomberg Media Group, is slated to wrap up a 100-day review of the company in the coming weeks, when he is expected to offer recommendations on the future of the global media conglomerate's TV division and digital and print operations, including Bloomberg Businessweek.His... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On-demand streaming site ended 2013 with net profits of $112m despite rise in cost of international rights and commissioningNetflix is committed to spending almost $3bn on TV and film content in 2014 and more than $6bn over the next three years, as the cost of securing international rights and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys (Headline Review) is to be made into a television series for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author 'really thrilled' that American Gods and Anansi Boys will finally reach the screenTwo Neil Gaiman books are to hit the small screen at last – his 2001 novel American Gods and the sort-of follow-up Anansi Boys.Gaiman confirmed on his journal that American Gods – which up to last November... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There are very few occasions when bringing together the UK's celeb hack pack would be anything other than akin to juggling dynamite. But knives were sheathed and cutting comments zipped in a remarkable display of support for Gavin Reeve-Daniels, deputy editor of Heat magazine, who was diagnosed... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeremy Paxman offers a view of the first world war that has its insights but avoids important questions that need answeringThe battle to carve up the 100th anniversary of the first world war began early this month with education secretary Michael Gove accusing historians and Blackadder – he... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Corporation, whose holdings include Cosmopolitan magazine and a stake in ESPN, is continuing its push into healthcare and creating a division called Hearst Health.The unit consists of five healthcare-information companies, as well as an innovation lab and venture fund with a commitment to... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The re-booted iteration of Oprah's influential book club is leveraging multiple platforms in print and digital for maximum exposure and engagement. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The fact a delegation is visiting the UK over the hostile response to the Guardian's reporting of the Snowden leaks, as well as the royal charter, should sound alarm bellsThis week, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has dispatched a delegation of editors and publishers from... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agent Scully actress will use her 'ingrained knowledge and rhythm' for SF to pen multi-volume EarthEnd SagaAfter delving into the paranormal for years as The X-Files' resident sceptic Dr Dana Scully, actor Gillian Anderson is set to create her own science-fictional universe – but this time in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Delegation from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers will investigate press regulationAn "unprecedented" press freedom mission to Britain by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) begins today.Representatives of the organisation are holding a series... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tony Jordan secures rights to 40 EMI songs for 10-part series Stop! In the Name of Love, partly inspired by 'jukebox musicals'The co-creator of Life on Mars is developing a TV drama series, partly inspired by the success "jukebox musicals" such as Mamma Mia!, featuring famous Motown hits such as... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thrill to the sight of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker raising a toast in honor of Sir Alec Guiness's birthday!Today in vaguely surreal photographs: Peter Mayhew, the 7'3" actor and mainstay of the traveling sci-fi/comic book convention circuit whose claim to fame is being the man inside the... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The trailer for Gary Shteyngart's memoir 'Little Failure' features James Franco and Rashida Jones. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Festive special adds nearly 3 million viewers when timeshifted viewing is included, but Mrs Brown's Boys remains top showNearly 3 million people recorded the festive special of Doctor Who and watched it in the week after Christmas Day, with Downton Abbey among the other most popular timeshifted... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of the Duck Dynasty star's book, Happy, Happy, Happy, saw an 86% increase between the weeks ended December 15 and December 22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A sinking ship of a drama that managed to be neither monstrous nor deep"Thar she blows!" said one of the crew as a whale came to the surface. The cetacean wasn't the only thing blowing heavily in The Whale (BBC1), a 90-minute dramatisation of the sinking of the Essex, a Nantucket whaler, by a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even as China's leaders promise a more liberal future for the country, they are suppressing those who would tell the truthThe year began with journalists from China's Southern Weekly striking because their paper had spiked a leader calling for constitutional protections for individual liberty at... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The three best things Fast Company's Editorial Director found on the Internet this week. More Recommendations Christina Chaey on bygone beers and Beyoncé Jessica Hullinger, Founder/Editor-In-Chief/Ace Reporter At "The Hullinger News" Miles Kohrman, The Cat-Juggling Intern Name: Jill... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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