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 ]
TV rights to Jessie Burton’s bestselling novel The Miniaturist (Picador) have been optioned by the company behind the adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. London-based Company Pictures optioned the TV rights in a deal negotiated by Rich Green at ICM Partners on behalf of Juliet Mushens at... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Artist is appealing against temporary injunction obtained by his ex-wife, who says book will be distressing for his son to readAn attempt to prevent a performing artist from publishing his memoir on the grounds that its contents would be distressing for his son to read has opened up “a new,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US book trade publication Publishers Weekly is to run a special section next week as a tribute to freedom of expression following the terrorist attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in France, in which 12 people died. The magazine’s owner, George Slowik Jr, said it was jumping “fully into the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The number of youngsters reading for pleasure has declined sharply, but this sector of publishing is booming – which results in some very strange mathsAre children reading less – or more? I’m confused. If less, then what happened to the 854,262 copies of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A US fantasy television series based on books by top-selling American author Terry Brooks is to be shot in West Auckland. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder Education has acquired independent publisher Rising Stars, which publishes curriculum, assessment and revision resources for primary schools. Rising Stars will retain its imprints and branding and Andrea Carr, founder and m.d., and her team of 28 staff will remain with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bleacher Report founder Bryan Goldberg writes that the major digital publishing narrative in 2015 will be revenue. Everything else will be a function of how publishers thrive or struggle to monetize. The post Coming in 2015: reality check for VC-engorged digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Photo: Alfred Maskeroni Specs Who Dao Nguyen New gig Publisher, BuzzFeed Old gig Vp of growth and data, BuzzFeed Age 41 Twitter @daozers What do you do as publisher? Publishing is literally the act of making information available to the public. For a purely digital operation like... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's books dominated the top of the US book charts in 2014, Nielsen BookScan's full-year statistics have revealed. Seven children's titles hit the number one spot last year and claimed pole position for 39 of the 52 weeks ending 28th December. This included an unbroken run of 15 weeks... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, the top of the 2014 print bestseller list was dominated by children’s and young adult titles that sold more than one million copies. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media regulator highlights ‘generation gap’ as people aged 16-24 move away from traditional platforms for online activitiesRead the full Ofcom report: Public Service Content in a Connected SocietyYounger people are switching off TV and radio in their droves in favour of online pursuits such as... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rights groups back challenge, claiming injunction on British performing artist’s book is serious risk to freedom of expressionA British performing artist who has been prevented from publishing his memoir as a result of legal action brought by his ex-wife is to ask the supreme court to overturn... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Light' was published in May but has stayed visible due to acclaim like a nomination for the National Book Awards. Now many independent bookstores say Anthony Doerr's novel is one of their top sellers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTube has had a big year, even by its own standards.In 2014 the Google-owned streaming video service got a new boss, a new revenue stream and a new rival. It also rolled out a massive marketing campaign, the first of what are expected to be several ad-free subscription services and a new... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier's Blink Publishing is launching a new imprint, Blink Reality, to focus on "compelling true stories and relevant real life issues". The imprint will be headed by newly appointed publisher Emily Thomas, and will begin releasing titles in summer 2015. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The number of people borrowing books from libraries in England has halved since 1997, according to the annual library statistics prepared by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). CIPFA plans to publish its annual statistics on Thursday (11th December), but early... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bear with me, video blogger Zoella asks fans, as she takes break from internet after admitting that runaway bestselling debut Girl Online was written jointlyYouTube star Zoe Sugg has announced that she is taking a break from the internet after admitting that she did not write her bestselling... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tencent and Baidu are only non-US digital media companies in top 10 by revenue, but country has four of top 10 fastest-growing firms, report saysChina is eroding Silicon Valley’s pre-eminent position as the home of the world’s largest internet businesses, with two companies making the top 10 by... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Everything about this is perfect—even the weird new lightsaber.There are a huge number of things that make Star Wars unique in terms of how movies are marketed—but one that doesn't get discussed much is the fact that the series' posters and one-sheets, rather than being photoshopped assemblages... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling's 2008 speech will be adapted as a book titled 'Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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