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 ]
'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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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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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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Little, Brown Book Group is to publish an illustrated edition of a speech J K Rowling gave to Harvard University. Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination uses the speech Rowling made to graduating students at Harvard in 2008. It will be illustrated by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown will release 'Very Good Lives,' a book version of J.K. Rowling's 2008 commencement speech at Harvard, on April 14, 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Miami Book Fair featured numerous international voices — from Haiti to Germany — as well as all of the 2014 National Book Award winners and finalists. The post Int’l Voices, NBA Authors Star at Miami Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new show, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, will launch with a two-day show in Columbus, Ohio in 2015 and transition to an annual four-day comics festival in Fall 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a passionate speech, writer takes aim at publishers who put profit before artUrsula Le Guin cries freedom as she is honoured for contribution to literatureTo the givers of this beautiful reward, my thanks, from the heart. My family, my agents, my editors, know that my being here is their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTuber Alfie Deyes is to write two more books for Blink Publishing, including a sequel to his bestselling debut The Pointless Book. The sequel to The Pointless Book, which has sold more than 100,000 copies through Nielsen BookScan, will be published in April 2015. This will be followed by a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller's Futurebook conference found the UK publishing industry focused on issues of marketing, ebook subscriptions and direct sales, among others. The post UK’s FutureBook Conference 2014: The Penguin Random House Show! appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Conde Nast of old aimed to sign star scribes like Christopher Hitchens and photographers like Annie Lebowitz. The Conde Nast of now has its sights set on YouTube stars.To meet the content demands of its growing millennial audience, the magazine publisher's digital-video division, Conde Nast... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PBS will live-stream three days of events from this month's Miami Book Fair. Will it become appointment viewing for the mass market? The post Will the Miami Book Fair Become Must-See TV? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Every weekday, we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new and trending TV commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, a company that catalogs, tags and measures activity around TV ads in real time. The New Releases here ran on TV for the first time yesterday. The Most Engaging ads are showing sustained... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Every weekday, we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new and trending TV commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, a company that catalogs, tags and measures activity around TV ads in real time. The New Releases here ran on TV for the first time yesterday. The Most Engaging ads are showing sustained... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK chair Gail Rebuck has used her maiden speech in the House of Lords to champion greater literacy for the “most marginalised and excluded women in our society”, saying the literate woman is “a potentially empowered woman”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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