"The ethics committee of the District of Columbia Bar is advising lawyers about some social media dangers in two ethics opinions released this month... One “apparently novel warning” is about lawyers who take positions on legal issues when blogging or tweeting, according to the ABA BNA Lawyer’s Manual. The ethics opinion says a lawyer’s positions on social media could be adverse to the interest of a client, inadvertently creating a conflict... Another new topic addressed is about the danger of allowing social media websites such as LinkedIn to access email contacts."
Monday, November 21, 2016
Beware of imported contacts, social media statements on legal issues, ethics opinion says; ABA Journal, 11/21/16
Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal; Beware of imported contacts, social media statements on legal issues, ethics opinion says:
Gold Star Family Says It Was Booed By First-Class Passengers On Flight To Pick Up Son’s Body; Huffington Post, 11/20/16
Ed Mazza, Huffington Post; Gold Star Family Says It Was Booed By First-Class Passengers On Flight To Pick Up Son’s Body:
"Sgt. John Perry was killed on Nov. 12 in a suicide attack inside Bagram Airfield, a NATO base in Afghanistan. Pfc. Tyler R. Iubelt of Tamaroa, Illinois, and two civilian contractors were also killed, and 17 others wounded. Perry said his son was able to stop the bomber before he reached his target, a 5K race held inside the base... Perry, himself a veteran, called on the public to be more empathetic to the military and their family members. “Generally, as Americans, we need to be more compassionate to each other and to understand and listen and just stay calm,” he told the Army Times."
How Fake News Goes Viral: A Case Study; New York Times, 11/20/16
Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times; How Fake News Goes Viral: A Case Study:
"While some fake news is produced purposefully by teenagers in the Balkans or entrepreneurs in the United States seeking to make money from advertising, false information can also arise from misinformed social media posts by regular people that are seized on and spread through a hyperpartisan blogosphere. Here, The New York Times deconstructs how Mr. Tucker’s now-deleted declaration on Twitter the night after the election turned into a fake-news phenomenon. It is an example of how, in an ever-connected world where speed often takes precedence over truth, an observation by a private citizen can quickly become a talking point, even as it is being proved false."
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Retired NBA commissioner David Stern went off about cheating and ethics; Quartz, 11/19/16
Oliver Staley, Quartz; Retired NBA commissioner David Stern went off about cheating and ethics:
"Cheating and ethical lapses are pervasive, from soccer stars evading taxes and state-sanctioned doping in the Olympics, to companies giving lip-service to social responsibility while gouging customers, Stern said Nov. 18 at a forum about business ethics and leadership hosted by Columbia Business School... “It’s too easy,” he said. “Every company has a head of corporate responsibility, you form a foundation, you give all your employees Friday off to do charity, blah, blah, blah. Then you fix prices at a business association meeting.” He took aim at Facebook, which said it has misreported how many people view its ads, and allowed the spread of fake news on its platform. The directors of venture-capital backed companies need to speak up, he said. “Where are the boards?” he said."
Whose life should your car save?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/20/16
Azim Shariff, Iyad Rahwan and Jean-Francois Bonnefon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Whose life should your car save?; Whose life should your car save? :
"The widespread use of self-driving cars promises to bring substantial benefits to transportation efficiency, public safety and personal well-being. Car manufacturers are working to overcome the remaining technical challenges that stand in the way of this future. Our research, however, shows that there is also an important ethical dilemma that must be solved before people will be comfortable trusting their lives to these cars. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has noted, autonomous cars may find themselves in circumstances in which the car must choose between risks to its passengers and risks to a potentially greater number of pedestrians. Imagine a situation in which the car must either run off the road or plow through a large crowd of people: Whose risk should the car’s algorithm aim to minimize? This dilemma was explored in studies that we recently published in the journal Science... This is why, despite its mixed messages, Mercedes-Benz should be applauded for speaking out on the subject. The company acknowledges that to “clarify these issues of law and ethics in the long term will require broad international discourse.”"
Tim Berners-Lee warns of danger of chaos in unprotected public data; Guardian, 11/1/16
Alice Ross, Guardian; Tim Berners-Lee warns of danger of chaos in unprotected public data:
"Asked about whether open data could have security vulnerabilities, Berners-Lee said criminals could manipulate open data for profit, for example by placing bets on the bank rate or consumer price index and then hacking into the sites where the data is published and switching the figures. “If you falsify government data then there are all kinds of ways that you could get financial gain, so yes,” he said, “it’s important that even though people think about open data as not a big security problem, it is from the point of view of being accurate.”... Berners-Lee said during a presentation that a key challenge, particularly in the era of Brexit and Donald Trump, was making reliable data available to people who felt disenfranchised: “How can we help everyone in the country feel that they have access to good quality information … whether they get it on the web or not – maybe they get it through TV and radio? How can we restore a culture and civilisation based on knowledge … and a democratic system based on knowledge, based on facts and truth?”"
Berners-Lee raises spectre of weaponized open data; Naked Security, 11/4/16
Bill Camarda, Naked Security; Berners-Lee raises spectre of weaponized open data:
"Whether data is coming from governments or corporations – and whether it’s formally “open” or simply “widely available” like AP’s Twitter feed – it’s increasingly vulnerable to deliberate falsification. But, for governments and others who believe in the open data movement, it’s no longer enough to protect privacy when they release data, or even to ensure its quality and consistency – already significant challenges. From now on, they’ll need to protect it against deliberate sabotage, too."
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Fake News in U.S. Election? Elsewhere, That’s Nothing New; New York Times, 11/17/16
Paul Mozur and Mark Scott, New York Times; Fake News in U.S. Election? Elsewhere, That’s Nothing New:
"Well before last week’s American election threw Facebook’s status as a digital-era news source into the spotlight, leaders, advocacy groups and minorities worldwide have contended with an onslaught of online misinformation and abuse that has had real-world political repercussions. And for years, the social network did little to clamp down on the false news... Some governments are pushing back, sometimes with undemocratic consequences. Ms. Merkel has said she is considering plans to force social networks to make public how they rank news online. Some African countries have banned the use of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter before elections. Indonesia’s government has closed sites that it says promote fake news, though experts say some portals were also targeted for political reasons. Facebook said on Thursday that the social network was a place for people to stay informed and that what people saw in their news feed was overwhelmingly authentic. The Silicon Valley company previously denied that it failed to deal with misinformation and said it continues to monitor the social network so that it meets existing standards."
Facebook Considering Ways to Combat Fake News, Mark Zuckerberg Says; New York Times, 11/19/16
Mike Isaac, New York Times; Facebook Considering Ways to Combat Fake News, Mark Zuckerberg Says:
"“The problems here are complex, both technically and philosophically,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote. “We believe in giving people a voice, which means erring on the side of letting people share what they want whenever possible.”... Mr. Zuckerberg made it clear that Facebook would take care to avoid looking or acting like a media company, a label it has frequently resisted. “We need to be careful not to discourage sharing of opinions or mistakenly restricting accurate content,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote. “We do not want to be arbiters of truth ourselves, but instead rely on our community and trusted third parties.”"
Fixation on Fake News Overshadows Waning Trust in Real Reporting; New York Times, 11/18/16
John Herrman, New York Times; Fixation on Fake News Overshadows Waning Trust in Real Reporting:
"Media companies have spent years looking to Facebook, waiting for the company to present a solution to their mounting business concerns despite, or perhaps because of, its being credited with causing those concerns. Some have come to the realization that this was mistaken, even absurd. Those who expect the operator of the dominant media ecosystem of our time, in response to getting caught promoting lies, to suddenly return authority to the companies it has superseded are in for a similar surprise."
60 percent of Russians think Internet censorship is necessary, poll finds; Washington Post, 11/18/16
Adam Taylor, Washington Post; 60 percent of Russians think Internet censorship is necessary, poll finds:
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the country does not have the legal authority to ban websites. Though some smaller websites have been blocked at some points, experts doubted Russia had the capability to implement more widespread online censorship. There have been a number of recent signs that the country may be rethinking its approach, however. In April, Konstantin Malofeev, a wealthy businessman with links to the Kremlin who runs the pro-censorship lobbying group Safe Internet League, traveled to China to meet with the architects of that country's notorious “great firewall.”... Polling by Levada and other organizations in Russia has long shown widespread support for Internet censorship. According to a study conducted in May 2014 by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), 59 percent of Russians believed that websites that showed gay pornographic content should be censored by the government, while 46 percent said social networks that allowed people to organize anti-government protests should be censored and 45 percent said the videos by the anti-government art group Pussy Riot should be banned."
In the war on fake news, school librarians have a huge role to play; The Verge, 11/16/16
Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Verge; In the war on fake news, school librarians have a huge role to play:
"On top of Facebook’s issues, the first Google search result for election results for several hours on Monday was a tiny conspiracy blog that wrongly showed Trump winning the popular vote. Google and Facebook both announced on Monday that they would block fake news sources from using their ad networks (one of the key ways that small to moderately sized websites make money), but the issue of fake news creeping up in search results and news feeds is still an urgent one. All of this is compounded by the reality that a lot of people don’t know fake news when they see it, sensationalized reports are more likely to go viral on social media than sane ones, and distrust of traditional (and genuinely more reliable) media sources is rising. To get a better idea of how we can fight misinformation, The Verge talked to Professor Nicole A. Cooke of the University of Illinois. Professor Cooke works in the University’s top-ranked School of Information Sciences, focusing on human information behavior, information literacy, and diversity in librarianship. We discussed why it seems to be getting harder and harder for people to keep track of the truth, what libraries are doing to help them, and what we all need to do going forward."
Friday, November 18, 2016
2016’s biggest loser; Washington Post, 11/18/16
Kathleen Parker, Washington Post; 2016’s biggest loser:
"What’s clear is that news consumers must be extra-vigilant in selecting news sources, while also being self-critical about those choices. The mainstream media need to work harder at presenting balanced reporting to rebuild trust. And education programs aimed at teaching students how to evaluate news, such as those created by the News Literacy Project, need greater public support and an accelerated timeline."
As fake news takes over Facebook feeds, many are taking satire as fact; Guardian, 11/17/16
Nicky Woolf, Guardian; As fake news takes over Facebook feeds, many are taking satire as fact:
"Facebook has a serious fake news problem, a major contributor to what has been called the “post-truth” era... In a way, the problem is not a new one. Publications such as the National Enquirer in the US have long bent the truth, often shamelessly. But now, a fake story can much more easily masquerade as real because in Facebook’s walled garden all the posts look largely the same. Even the most savvy news consumers can be tricked this way."
Facebook fake-news writer: ‘I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me’; Washington Post, 11/17/16
Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post; Facebook fake-news writer: ‘I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me’ :
"You’ve been writing fake news for a while now — you’re kind of like the OG Facebook news hoaxer. Well, I’d call it hoaxing or fake news. You’d call it parody or satire. How is that scene different now than it was three or five years ago? Why did something like your story about Obama invalidating the election results (almost 250,000 Facebook shares, as of this writing) go so viral? Honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore — I mean, that’s how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn’t care because they’d already accepted it. It’s real scary. I’ve never seen anything like it. You mentioned Trump, and you’ve probably heard the argument, or the concern, that fake news somehow helped him get elected. What do you make of that? My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time. I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don’t fact-check anything — they’ll post everything, believe anything."
From Hate Speech To Fake News: The Content Crisis Facing Mark Zuckerberg; NPR, 11/17/16
Aarti Shahani, NPR; From Hate Speech To Fake News: The Content Crisis Facing Mark Zuckerberg:
"Some in Silicon Valley dismiss the criticisms against Facebook as schadenfreude: Just like taxi drivers don't like Uber, legacy media envies the success of the social platform and enjoys seeing its leadership on the hot seat. A former employee is not so dismissive and says there is a cultural problem, a stubborn blindness at Facebook and other leading Internet companies like Twitter. The source says: "The hardest problems these companies face aren't technological. They are ethical, and there's not as much rigor in how it's done." At a values level, some experts point out, Facebook has to decide if its solution is free speech (the more people post, the more the truth rises), or clear restrictions."
Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites; New York Times, 11/14/16
Nick Wingfield, Mike Isaac, Katie Benner, New York Times; Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites:
"Google kicked off the action on Monday afternoon when the Silicon Valley search giant said it would ban websites that peddle fake news from using its online advertising service. Hours later, Facebook, the social network, updated the language in its Facebook Audience Network policy, which already says it will not display ads in sites that show misleading or illegal content, to include fake news sites. “We have updated the policy to explicitly clarify that this applies to fake news,” a Facebook spokesman said in a statement. “Our team will continue to closely vet all prospective publishers and monitor existing ones to ensure compliance.” Taken together, the decisions were a clear signal that the tech behemoths could no longer ignore the growing outcry over their power in distributing information to the American electorate."
Obama, With Angela Merkel in Berlin, Assails Spread of Fake News; New York Times, 11/17/16
Gardiner Harris and Melissa Eddy, New York Times; Obama, With Angela Merkel in Berlin, Assails Spread of Fake News:
"...[I]t was on the subject of false information coursing through social media and television that Mr. Obama was most impassioned, so much so that at one stage he lost track of the question he was answering... “If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not, and particularly in an age of social media when so many people are getting their information in sound bites and off their phones, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems.””
‘Post-truth’ named 2016 word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries; Washington Post, 11/16/16
Amy B. Wang, Wahington Post; ‘Post-truth’ named 2016 word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries:
"Oxford Dictionaries has selected “post-truth” as 2016's international word of the year, after the contentious “Brexit” referendum and an equally divisive U.S. presidential election caused usage of the adjective to skyrocket, according to the Oxford University Press. The dictionary defines “post-truth” as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”"
Deep Dive: Open Access and Transforming the Future of Research; Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), 11/4/16
Gennie Gebhart, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF); Deep Dive: Open Access and Transforming the Future of Research:
"Open access depends on more than removing cost barriers. It also means giving the public freedom to use research. Under the current academic publishing model, even the simple act of sharing can be a crime. When Diego Gomez, a Master’s student in Colombia, shared a colleague’s thesis with other scientists over the Internet, he was doing what any grad student would do: sharing research he found useful so others could benefit from it. But the author of the paper filed a lawsuit, and Diego’s act of sharing became a copyright violation punishable by four to eight years in prison. In the U.S., activist Aaron Swartz also met unjust charges on 13 criminal counts for downloading millions of articles from academic journal database JSTOR. The charges would have put him in jail for years under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. If other users see Diego’s or Aaron’s cases and fear the consequences that can come with copyright infringement allegations, everyday activities like sharing academic resources can become intimidating. These cases remind us that sharing and building on existing research is integral to the open access vision. That could mean anything from translation to remixing to large-scale analysis. In an open access world, these innovative, collaborative actions would not be criminal."
Jonathan Nolan Responds To That Westworld Location Theory; Slashfilm.com, 10/17/16
Peter Sciretta, Slashfilm.com; Jonathan Nolan Responds To That Westworld Location Theory:
Minor spoilers re "Westworld" plot themes [Kip Currier: Viewers of Season 1 of the popular new HBO series "Westworld"--a reimagined reboot of the 1973 film, based on Michael Crichton's eponymous novel--have increasingly seen the protect-at-all-costs value of Westworld's Intellectual Property, as well as privacy concerns. Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy Nolan touch on these issues below:] "In regards to the computer terminals where the Delos staff communicate to their loved ones back home, [Lisa Joy Nolan] says: Regardless of where they are, the park is very, very vast, and you don’t rotate home often. You don’t have open communication where you can just pick up a phone. Even senior people have to go to the coms room – because [the park is] protecting their intellectual property. We’re hoping to paint a portrait of the culture of the corporation. [Jonathan] Nolan (who was a showrunner on Person of Interest, a series about a computer system that could analyze all forms of public and private data to predict the future) seems to be very interested in the aspect of big brother looking in on our communications. As for how it relates to Westworld, he says the Delos corporation wants to protect its intellectual property and the privacy of the park’s guests: In Westworld, the value of the park is all in its intellectual property, it’s all in the code. So regardless of the park’s location, they would be extremely careful with that code and making sure its virtually impossible to smuggle it out of the park. And there’s the privacy of the guests – you’re not going to have a good time in Westworld if somebody is Instagramming your activities. I’m amazed [th]at [sic] Las Vegas has survived the Instagram age. In episode 2, when the guests come in, we don’t see this, but we assume these guys have cell phones that they’re not allowed to bring in the park. We very much think this is a path where culture may be going – that we’ll get over-exposed and sick of the interconnectedness of our lives that we’ll hunger for places [that offer disconnected privacy]. We’ll hunger for a moment where we can go back toward having some privacy."
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Cattle researchers fight 'extraordinary' patent of bovine genome; ABC, 11/17/16
Sarina Locke, ABC; Cattle researchers fight 'extraordinary' patent of bovine genome:
"In a move which has shocked cattle researchers and breeders, two American companies are trying to patent the bovine genome in Australia. Meat and Livestock Australia has lodged action in the Federal Court against the Australian Patent office for granting the patent to Cargill and Branhaven. Researchers fear it could spread to other livestock research. Livestock Professor Rob Banks, said he was appalled that a private company could be granted rights over genes that had been publicly available since the 1980s."
Cuomo, Stung by a Scandal, Offers Ethics Reforms; New York Times, 11/16/16
Vivian Yee and Jesse McKinley, New York Times; Cuomo, Stung by a Scandal, Offers Ethics Reforms:
"Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday a set of ethics reforms that would affect the State Legislature, the State University of New York, the City University of New York and his own office — all of which have been soiled within the last year by corruption scandals and allegations of slipshod management. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, announced that he would appoint a procurement officer to review all contracts and agreements involving state funds “with an eye towards eliminating any wrongdoing, conflicts of interest or collusion,” a clear nod to the revelation this fall that three of his former aides and advisers had orchestrated a yearslong bribery and bid-rigging scheme in which lucrative state economic development contracts were steered to a few favored developers. All three, along with several development executives, have pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges."
The ethics rules that apply — and don’t apply — to Trump’s children; Washington Post, 11/14/16
Elise Viebeck and Lisa Rein, Washington Post; The ethics rules that apply — and don’t apply — to Trump’s children:
"There’s been a lot of talk since Friday about President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to give his three eldest children formal positions on his transition team. Readers have wondered: Is the decision legal? Is it ethical? Does it signal Trump’s intention to involve his children in his administration? And what does it mean that Trump’s children have transition roles just as they are poised to take over the family business? Let’s clear up some of the confusion. To put it simply, Trump has a lot of flexibility when it comes to staffing his transition. He has less flexibility when it comes to staffing his administration, though ethics experts said it will not be hard for him to bend rules."
Trump gets to decide if his transition team will have a code of ethics; Washington Post, 11/16/16
Lisa Rein and Elise Viebeck, Washington Post; Trump gets to decide if his transition team will have a code of ethics:
"With questions swirling around potential conflicts of interest for lobbyists and family members on Donald Trump’s transition team, ethics experts say it’s crucial that the team building the new administration have a formal code of principles. But here’s a little-understood fact about presidential transitions: They don’t have to follow a code of ethics unless they want to, and even if they do, they come up with the terms themselves. When Trump communications director Jason Miller was asked whether one existed Monday, he said he was not sure about the existence of an ethics code, but said he would get back to us."
Trump transition appears to have flouted internal ethics rule on lobbyists; Politico, 11/16/16
Isaac Arnsdorf, Politico; Trump transition appears to have flouted internal ethics rule on lobbyists:
"Donald Trump’s transition team appears to have deviated from its own ethics rule barring lobbyists whose work for Trump would overlap with any matters on which they lobbied in the previous year. According to a copy of Trump for America Inc.’s Code of Ethical Conduct obtained by POLITICO, a member of the transition team must pledge to “disqualify myself from involvement in any particular transition matter if I have engaged in regulated lobbying activities with respect to such matter, as defined by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, within the previous 12 months.” But at least eight transition team members have done work that appears to flout that internal rule, Senate records show."
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Elena Ferrante’s Right to a Pseudonym; Atlantic, 11/15/16
Atlantic; Elena Ferrante’s Right to a Pseudonym:
"Curiously, the United States remains possibly the only country in the world not to recognize an author’s right to be named as the creator of his or her own work, despite huge pressure from authors’ groups and legal experts to do so. American law provides for a limited “right of attribution,” as it is called in the U.S. Copyright Act, but only in relation to works of fine art. Writers, musicians, and creators working in other disciplines have no such right at all. Establishing one would bring the United States into line with the rest of the world—a good thing when creative works literally circulate without borders, and reputations must stand or fall on the global stage. In Italy, the copyright law says that a pseudonym will be treated as equivalent to the author’s true name, unless (and until) the author chooses to reveal his or her identity. Both the language of the law, and its silences, are arguably significant. In no way is any outsider empowered to reveal an author’s “true” identity when the author has chosen to publish under a pseudonym. Italian law wouldn’t seem to condone a concerted effort such as Gatti’s to uncover Ferrante’s identity."
Patent Pending; The Crimson, 10/20/16
C. Ramsey Fahs, The Crimson; Patent Pending:
"One way to ensure that offices truly act in the public good, says Rooksby, is to promote broader public understanding of the tech transfer process. “Intellectual property as a topic is misunderstood… but the issues are important,” says Rooksby. “They are important in isolation and in aggregate. These problems are too important and too impactful on the public to just let the lawyers figure them out.”"
Monday, November 14, 2016
LGBTQ Trump Voters: You Betrayed Our Community’s Most Vulnerable; Huffington Post, 11/14/16
JamesMichael Nichols, Huffington Post; LGBTQ Trump Voters: You Betrayed Our Community’s Most Vulnerable:
"At times like this, it’s important for us ― and these voters ― to zoom out and recognize that queer liberation is a battle that is still very much ongoing for the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community and all of us. Trans people, people of color, women, homeless queer youth, intersex people, people outside of the gender binary will all suffer tremendously under a Trump/Pence leadership structure. Even those in the LGBTQ community who apparently feel safe may be in for a shock once the new administration begins unrolling plans and polices for the future trajectory of our country. And this should be both mortifying and disconcerting for everyone. 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ. The majority of states don’t have anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. Trans people literally can’t even use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity in many states ― and are terrified for what’s to come. Hate crimes against LGBTQ people ― and ALL minority groups ― are on the rise post-election. And the list goes on. So, LGBTQ people that voted for Trump and Pence ― this is the outcome that you wanted, that you voted for. But this choice will likely have long-standing, possibly life-threatening, repercussions on the most vulnerable members of our community, and that is something that you need to both examine your role in and shoulder the responsibility for. Because, in the end ― as it has always been with our community ― we are all in this together."
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Academic Ethics: The Legal Tangle of ‘Trigger Warnings’; Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/13/16
Brian Leiter, Chronicle of Higher Education; Academic Ethics: The Legal Tangle of ‘Trigger Warnings’ :
"A report on trigger warnings by the American Association of University Professors identified similar cases, calling them "anti-intellectual and infantilizing," which many of them do seem to be. The AAUP pointed to a policy at Oberlin College (subsequently tabled) that listed the following as topics warranting trigger warnings: "racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism, and other issues of privilege and oppression." The draft Oberlin report even cited Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart since it could "trigger readers who have experienced racism, colonialism, religious persecution, violence, suicide and more." There is plainly no legal or moral obligation to issue trigger warnings for these kinds of reasons, and there are strong moral reasons not to: The whole point of trigger warnings — as the real PTSD cases show — is to enable students to avoid engagement with materials. But how can that be compatible with the ethical imperative of educating young people? Students should, of course, engage with all facets of human experience in a serious education — including all the ghastly aspects of human experience — except to the extent that a documented medical condition makes that impossible... Teachers should issue trigger warnings in the easy cases, but in all other cases, they ought to refrain from trying to shield students from serious study of the human experience, even when morally offensive. At the same time, teachers should discharge their fundamental duty — namely, helping students learn. Sometimes discharging both tasks will require skill and sensitivity, but it is the ethical obligation of a serious teacher to develop both capacities."
Our First Amendment test is here. We can’t afford to flunk it.; Washington Post, 11/13/16
Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post; Our First Amendment test is here. We can’t afford to flunk it. :
"For journalists, it’s writing and reporting aggressively and fearlessly, and being willing to fight for access. For citizens, it’s being well-informed, including subscribing to newspapers and supporting the best journalism. It’s helping to debunk and call out fake news. It’s donating to, or getting involved with, civil rights and media rights organizations. And it’s backing public officials committed to protecting free expression. Americans certainly shouldn’t move to Canada, but they should heed the words of the Canadian songwriter Joni Mitchell: “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?”"
Studying ethics, 'Star Trek' style, at Drake; Des Moines Register, 11/10/16
Daniel P. Finney, Des Moines Register; Studying ethics, 'Star Trek' style, at Drake:
"What I found in this class of 18 young people was hope. So much of the presidential election discourse was negative, pessimistic and cruel. It exposed deep-seeded prejudices in a much larger portion of our population than many of us expected. The final result deeply unnerved at least half the electorate. Beyond the sheer magnitude of bile, there was the clear absence of thoughtful consideration of issues by so many engaged in angry arguments. Everything seemed to be bisected into a comic book morality of good vs. evil: Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, Batman vs. the Joker and so on. Very little nuanced thinking or discussion occurred, despite the complexities of the individuals and the issues involved. Yet in this classroom, I saw exactly what I desperately desired from the people who sought to be leaders of this country: reason, thought, empathy and advanced thinking."
About 100 million people couldn’t be bothered to vote this year; Washington Post, 11/12/16
Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post; About 100 million people couldn’t be bothered to vote this year:
"That means that 100 million people who have the legal right to vote simply decided it wasn't worth the hassle this year. Some of these non-voters may have been discouraged by long lines or policies designed to suppress participation among certain demographic groups, like minority voters. But the research, like a 2014 study from the Government Accountability Office, suggests these policies can at most affect turnout rates by a percentage point or two. In close elections these small differences matter greatly. But in the context of 100 million people deciding to sit it out, they don't mean much. We could be generous and say that inadequate access to the vote could account for say, 5 million of those non-participating voters. What excuse, then, do the other 95 million have?... If voters in a democracy get the government they deserve, perhaps in the U.S. we deserve a government that doesn't bother to show up."
Son Of Immigrants Is First Openly Gay Man Elected To Georgia Legislature; Huffington Post, 11/10/16
Kimberly Yam, Huffington Post; Son Of Immigrants Is First Openly Gay Man Elected To Georgia Legislature:
"“The election of an openly gay man to the Georgia General Assembly represents just one more step on the road to full equality for LGBT people in Georgia,” Jeff Graham, executive director of LGBTQ advocacy organization Georgia Equality, said in a statement about the historic win... The 31-year-old, whose campaign focused on economic growth and security, healthcare, and civil rights, explained that it was his mother’s cancer diagnosis in 2014 that impacted his decision to run for office. “As I take my mom to her chemo appointment every two weeks, I am constantly reminded of the importance of health insurance. Access to healthcare is a matter of life or death,” Park wrote on his website. “Knowing this, based on my experiences and faith, I am compelled to run for public office to ensure all Georgians have access to healthcare by expanding Medicaid in Georgia.”"
Trump Voters: A Message From the Mom Of A Gay Kid; Huffington Post, 11/11/16
Amelia, Huffington Post; Trump Voters: A Message From the Mom Of A Gay Kid:
"When I point out the views of the new government-elect, these people tell me “but I don’t think that way.” So what? That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that they voted for someone who does. By putting those people in power, they are implicitly condoning―and expressly endorsing―their actions. I am allowed to pissed off that people think I should now break bread with those who voted for someone who is a direct threat to my child. I’m allowed to be offended that even people who claim to love my child valued their pocketbooks and privilege more than that child’s life, my child’s health, my child’s safety, and my child’s future. That’s not what love is. I am allowed to not forgive them. And I don’t. I don’t know if I ever will. To all those scared LGBTQ children out there, I have this message: I am so sorry that this country chose not to protect you. But those of us who truly love you will work hard to keep you safe, so that you can continue to grow into the extraordinary adults you are already on your way to becoming. We will not abandon you. To the people who are so offended by my anger, I have this message: Please feel free to be pissed off at me if I ever vote for someone who thinks your child deserves electroshock torture in the vain attempt to “fix” something that’s not a problem. I’ll deserve it."
I Am Gay. I Will Not Be Tortured Again.; Huffington Post, 11/11/16
David Michael Conner, Huffington Post; I Am Gay. I Will Not Be Tortured Again. :
"I survived six years of psychological terror and physical abuses, sanctioned by my peers and by authorities, throughout my youth. At that time, I had been convinced that something about me was “bad” and that I deserved it. I know better now, and I will not abide by it. LGBT people and our allies must be vigilant as a new regime takes over our country. This is not a joke, and there is no evidence at this time that suggests fearing the worst—that our government would commit inhumane crimes against its own law-abiding people—is unreasonable. I have lost more faith in the decency of the American people this week than I knew I had. Because of what I went through when I was young, and because I have seen how quickly attitudes changed toward acceptance, I know how quickly those attitudes can revert with a little peer pressure. I know how cruel people can be without a second thought. LGBT people and our allies must not give a millimeter or else this administration may take 666 miles. We also must ally ourselves with all other marginalized populations because, from a practical standpoint, greater numbers equals greater security—but more importantly because all of us are human beings and all of us are at a very real risk of being confronted by overt state-supported hate crimes, and these things usually happen in waves, one targeted population at a time. We are all in this together, and we have to be ready to fight for our souls."
The Mike Pence (Donald Trump) Assault On LGBTQ Equality Is Already Underway; Huffington Post, 11/13/16
Michangelo Signorile, Huffington Post; The Mike Pence (Donald Trump) Assault On LGBTQ Equality Is Already Underway:
"I’m not going to sugarcoat this at all. We are in for a full-blown assault on LGBTQ rights the likes of which many, particularly younger LGBTQ people, have not seen. Progress will most certainly be halted completely, likely rolled back. And it’s already underway... If Trump is thus as hands-off on LGBTQ issues as president as he was at the RNC, letting people like Pence ― again, possibly the most powerful vice president ever ― get his way, along with people like Carson, Blackwell, Gingrich and likely many others, you can bet that the assault on LGBTQ rights is already underway. It’s only a matter of time before we know the full magnitude. And that’s why we must pull ourselves out of grief, get fired up, and begin the fight right now."
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Clarence M. Ditlow III, Auto Safety Crusader, Dies at 72; New York Times, 11/11/16
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times; Clarence M. Ditlow III, Auto Safety Crusader, Dies at 72:
"As head of the Center for Auto Safety, based in Washington, for 40 years, Mr. Ditlow exposed hundreds of automotive defects. He was instrumental in forcing manufacturers to recall the Ford Pintos with infamous exploding gas tanks, Toyotas that suddenly accelerated out of control and General Motors pickup trucks with sidesaddle gas tanks that blew up in collisions, killing more than 1,000 people. With a budget of less than half the cost of one G.M. Super Bowl commercial, Mr. Ditlow took on auto industry giants in lawsuits that tightened standards for ignition systems, airbags and fuel efficiency; lobbied government agencies to ban driving while texting or using cellphones; and achieved “lemon laws” in all 50 states that made it easier for buyers to return defective vehicles. “He was the nightmare of the misbehaving auto industry and the dream of safety-conscious motorists,” Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate and Mr. Ditlow’s mentor, said in an interview in October. “He was also honest, ethical and self-effacing.”... He often sought data under the Freedom of Information laws and sometimes found shocking unintended revelations... Clarence Mintzer Ditlow III was born on Jan. 26, 1944, one of three children of Clarence Mintzer Ditlow Jr. and the former Myrtice Lamb, and grew up in Camp Hill, Pa. His father was a service manager at a Chevrolet dealership in Harrisburg, Pa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in 1965. After working for five years as a patent examiner in the United States Patent Office, he received a juris doctorate from Georgetown University in 1970 and a master’s degree in law at Harvard in 1971."
Erasing the Past From Google Search; New York Times, 11/11/16
J.D. Biersdorfer, New York Times; Erasing the Past From Google Search:
"Q. Is there a “right to be forgotten” in the United States? How do you get false or damaging personal information removed from Google search results?"
How Federal Ethics Laws Will Apply to a Trump Presidency; New York Times, 11/11/16
Steve Eder, New York Times; How Federal Ethics Laws Will Apply to a Trump Presidency:
"A theme of Mr. Trump’s presidency is likely to be the clash of his duties running the country with the remnants of his decades as a hard-charging businessman. But federal rules and precedent make a couple of things clear. Mr. Trump will have no immunity from lawsuits involving his corporate ventures, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling involving Paula Jones, one of President Bill Clinton’s accusers. And nothing will stop Mr. Trump’s family from continuing to run its vast international web of businesses. Federal ethics laws and conflict-of-interest statutes that apply to other federal employees and cabinet members do not apply to the president."
Not Everyone’s Hero; Inside Higher Ed, 11/11/16
Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed; Not Everyone’s Hero:
"Course Hero has in the past banned users for repeatedly violating its honor code -- which states, “[Don’t] use Course Hero materials or tutors to complete assignments when instructed not to use outside help” -- and its terms of service, though Mork did not say how many times users can violate those policies. The company also uses technology that detects and blocks students from posting content that has previously been removed in response to a DMCA takedown request. The technology doesn’t detect copyright violations before the material is posted, however. In Gollin’s case, for example, each page of the homework assignment was marked with copyright language."
Stay angry. That’s the only way to uphold principles in Trump’s America.; Washington Post, 11/11/16
Leon Wieseltier, Washington Post; Stay angry. That’s the only way to uphold principles in Trump’s America. :
"The demons that have haunted our society for decades and even centuries, the vile illiberalism that currently disgraces other governments in the West, will now inhabit the White House. Difficult times are giving way to dark times, and dark times require a special lucidity and a special vigilance and a special ferocity about principle. We must not lose our faith in moral progress and in social progress, but we must remember that moral progress and social progress are not linear and unimpeded and inevitable. There will always be reversals and setbacks, because change rattles the world that preceded it. If you demand justice, prepare for instability, and for the exploitation of instability by political reactionaries who weaken the wounded with nostalgia and fantasies of exclusiveness. The struggle for reform is often succeeded by the struggle to repeal reform. Trumpism, insofar as it is coherently anything, is a great promise of repeal. If Trump succeeds in his repeal, then the fight for the repeal of the repeal must begin. There is nothing Sisyphean or cynical about this. It is the abiding condition of a democracy comprising conflicting ideals. The fight is never over. The prettification of Donald Trump has begun. When a crushed Hillary Clinton graciously asked that Trump be given “a chance to succeed,” I confess that I felt no such graciousness. This made me as small as Mitch McConnell, I know. But if Trump succeeds, America may fail; and it is America, its values and its interests, whose success matters most desperately to me. No cooling off, then. We must stay hot for America. The political liberty that we cherish in this precious republic is most purely and exhilaratingly experienced as the liberty to oppose."
Lies in the Guise of News in the Trump Era; New York Times, 11/12/16
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times; Lies in the Guise of News in the Trump Era:
"...[O]one takeaway from this astonishing presidential election is that fake news is gaining ground, empowering nuts and undermining our democracy. As I’ve argued for most of this year, I think we in the mainstream media — especially cable television — sometimes bungled coverage of Trump. There was too much uncritical television coverage of Trump because he was good for ratings; then there was not enough investigation of his business dealings, racism and history of sexual assaults, and too much false equivalency that equated the two candidates as equally flawed... When Americans come to believe lies such as that the pope endorsed Trump, or that Barack and Michelle Obama unendorsed Clinton, those are assaults on our political system and we should challenge them. The landscape ahead looks grim to me. While the business model for mainstream journalism is in crisis, these alt-right websites expand as they monetize false “news” that promotes racism and undermines democracy. Worse, they have the imprimatur of the soon-to-be most powerful person in the world."
Media’s Next Challenge: Overcoming the Threat of Fake News; New York Times, 11/6/16
Jim Rutenberg, New York Times; Media’s Next Challenge: Overcoming the Threat of Fake News:
"It could be Pollyannaish to think so, but maybe this year’s explosion in fake news will serve to raise the value of real news. If so, it will be great journalism that saves journalism. “People will ultimately gravitate toward sources of information that are truly reliable, and have an allegiance to telling the truth,” Mr. Baron said. “People will pay for that because they’ll realize they’ll need to have that in our society.” As The Times’s national political correspondent Jonathan Martin wrote on Twitter last week, “Folks, subscribe to a paper. Democracy demands it.” Or don’t. You’ll get what you pay for."
REBELLIONS ARE BUILT ON HOPE: WHY ROGUE ONE MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER; Comic Book Resources, 11/11/16
Brett White, Comic Book Resources; REBELLIONS ARE BUILT ON HOPE: WHY ROGUE ONE MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER:
"We have hope. If they have hate, then we have hope. And we have “Rogue One,” which has suddenly become the most relevant movie of 2016 — and it hasn’t even hit theaters yet. Fiction is powerful. Fiction is inspirational and aspirational; it’s where artists take their hopes and dreams and make them real through story. We strive to be like fictional characters (General Organa, Luke Skywalker, Rey, Han Solo) because they’re the vessels through which creators express the values they want to see in the world. You want people to be braver, you give them a Leia to look up to. You want people to be able to find their own inner strength? Here’s Luke and Rey. Think being selfless is more important than being selfish? Learn from Han Solo. We need a very specific story right now, and we need “Rogue One” right now. When I look at the “Rogue One” trailers, I see what I want from America. I see a multicultural group standing strong together led by a rebellious and courageous woman. That’s what we are working towards, and what we will continue to work towards no matter what. That’s what America — a land created as a haven for the persecuted, to be able to realize their limitless dreams — was created to be. The Empire is oppressive; the Empire crushes the rights of others and excludes non-humans from their ranks. The Rebellion is inclusive. “Rogue One” stars an English woman, a Mexican man, an actor from Hong Kong and one from China, and a British Pakistani rapper/actor. People from so many backgrounds can see themselves in this cast, and they finally have a hero to call their very own."
Friday, November 11, 2016
Three or Four Months; F Minus, Go Comic, 11/11/16
Tony Carrillo, F Minus, Go Comics; "Three or Four Months"
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Now is not the time to abandon America. Stay here and fight for it; Quartz, 11/9/16
Sarah Todd, Quartz; Now is not the time to abandon America. Stay here and fight for it:
"After last night’s presidential election, many Americans woke up this morning feeling lost and betrayed. Some are talking about moving to Canada. Others are wondering if things would be better in Europe, or Australia. Believe me, I get it. The reality of president-elect Donald Trump means a majority of US voters were willing to endorse, or at least dismiss, the Republican candidate’s blatant misogyny, xenophobia, and racism. It means that a man who can’t even control himself on Twitter will now have access to the nuclear arsenal. Under these circumstances, it’s understandable that some Americans are thinking of fleeing the country. But many of the people who would likely be most vulnerable during a Trump presidency—refugees, immigrants, the poor—have nowhere to go. For their sake, and for the future of our country, those of us who have a choice shouldn’t give in to the impulse to flee. We should stay here and fight... As a woman who believes in the equality of all people in this country, the results of this election have shocked and saddened me. I feel like I don’t understand my fellow citizens. I don’t want to live in a place where so many of them could vote against my best interests, and against the best interests of the people I care about. I’m scared for what the next four years may bring. But I also know that, whatever happens under president Trump, we will need voices of dissent. We will need people who advocate for women’s equality, and teach the next generation that we deserve to be treated with respect. We’ll need people who will fight for the rights of immigrants and their children. We’ll need people who believe in a legal system that protects the rights of all Americans. And we will need people who can work to cultivate a society united not by fear and anger, but by love and acceptance... The next four years will likely bring injustice and grief. We may see families separated; people in need abandoned; futures destroyed. Many of us will feel that America is not a place where we belong. But we are not powerless under a Trump presidency. We can make our voices heard on the public and political stage. We can show ourselves, and the world, that we will not allow Trump and his supporters to make us feel unwelcome in our own home."
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