Earlier this afternoon, President Barack Obama delivered a beautiful commencement speech to the graduating students of Barnard College. Met with resounding applause and a sprinkling of appreciative laughter throughout, the charming speech followed a classic framework, as Obama drew from personal stories, shared inspiring sound bites, and imparted meaningful advice. photo by Asiya Khaki ’09 President Obama asked whether we can “muste...
...on the other side of the globe, Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere should not be infuriated over a film, Islamophobic or not, that was made by an American citizen. Americans have a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech, and while any decent person would agree that making such a film is morally wrong, the president should have also acknowledged the inalienable right of the filmmaker to express his views freely. In other words, Obama...
For WikiLeaks’ supporters, the freedom of speech is both their rallying cause and their powerful protector. However, their systematic promotion of a right to leak by their signature reliance on leaked quality of information desecrated the First Amendment as much as they advanced it. In the history of journalism, WikiLeaks is the first news organization that defined its core mission and identity by its reckless exercise of the constitution...
President Barack Obama’s speech to the Barnard College 2012 graduating class focused on how this group of smart young women can help move our country forward. His speech focused on women and how women can change the world, which is fitting as the commencement speaker for one of the world’s best women’s colleges. photo by Asiya Khaki '09 Yes, he did lightly touch on hot political topics such as the debate in Washington over women’s health ca...
...of journalists have emerged: the fact checkers. Fact checking originated to evaluate material that was written by someone who is not a trained reporter. The fact checker’s job is to conduct research on news stories, political speeches, and even other news organizations in order to assess the veracity of their statements. Fact checking played a significant role in the 2012 presidential election by keeping both the Democratic and Republican campaig...
In the past few weeks, Hillel Neuer, the executive director of the watchdog organization UNWatch, has become the persona non grata at the recently overhauled UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. At the Council’s fourth session in late March, Neuer delivered a speech that so infuriated Council President Luis Alfonso de Alba that it was stricken from the official UN record. What could Neuer have said to provoke such censure? Beginning his speech by...
...nce laws. When these laws were passed, Congress took a stance on something that should be obvious: corporations are not people. In reifying the dangerous idea of corporate personhood, the Supreme Court claimed defense of free speech. But why are corporations entitled to First Amendment rights? Citizens United does not grant anyone free speech where it was previously restricted. The Supreme Court, in effect, gave a few ultra-wealthy and powerful c...
Obama speaks at his inauguration, 2013 Most likely any high school student enrolled in a US history course across the country has written an essay on one of the many great speeches delivered—typically at inaugurations—by past presidents. Washington, in his farewell address, warned of foreign entanglements. Lincoln called for reconstruction along equal lines between northern and southern states. Franklin D. Roosevelt declared “war” on the Great...
...tion Commission Supreme Court case in 2010. The effect of the Court’s decision is that individuals, or individuals grouped together into super PACs, may spend as much money as they please on advertisements and other forms of speech in support of (or, as Newt Gingrich certainly found out, in opposition to) candidates for political office. To maintain the integrity of the campaign process, candidates are strictly forbidden by law from interacting...
photo from Wikimedia Commons Behind every president, with the exception of James Buchanan, there has been a strong first lady helping her husband deal with the pressure and problems inherent in running the country. On July 18, 1940, Eleanor Roosevelt became the first first lady to give a speech at a national nominating convention. This front and center, national level appearance on behalf of FDR, during her husband’s third campaign for th...
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