This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].  

Daily Caller: SZABO: This Is The Biggest Threat To American Free Speech

.....While liberals and congressional Democrats want us to think Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter is the “death of democracy,” they’re hiding the real threat to free speech – government. We thought the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Orwellian Disinformation Governance Board, a de-facto ministry of truth, was bad. But it turns out the Biden administration has been working to seize control of online speech under the guise of “disinformation.”

Reason ("Volokh Conspiracy"): Government Entity's Excluding "Off-Topic" Comments on Social Media Posts May Be Constitutional

.....From Krasno v. Mnookin, decided yesterday by Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker (W.D. Wisc.):

National Review: Doctors Sue Newsom Administration over Medical ‘Misinformation’ Law

.....Five physicians are challenging a California “misinformation” law that would allow the state medical board to discipline doctors who disseminate information about Covid-19 that diverges from the “contemporary scientific consensus.”

Reason: This Professor Was Fired for Her Political Speech. Now, She's Getting Her Job Back.

.....A college professor fired for supporting union activity and the removal of Confederate statues will get her job back, following a settlement agreement reached on Thursday.

OpenSecrets: ‘Dark money’ groups aligned with party leadership steer hundreds of millions of dollars into 2022 federal elections

By Anna Massoglia

.....“Dark money” groups aligned with the Republican and Democratic parties’ congressional leadership have steered more than $295 million from secret donors into 2022 federal elections, a new OpenSecrets analysis found. 

Washington Post: This year, GOP election deniers got a free pass from Twitter and Facebook

By Naomi Nix, Jeremy B. Merrill and Hayden Godfrey 

.....For years, Facebook and Twitter have pledged to fight falsehoods that could confuse users about America’s electoral system by tagging questionable posts with accurate information about voting and removing rule-breaking misinformation. But this electoral cycle, at least 26 candidates have posted inaccurate election claims since April, but the platforms have done virtually nothing to refute them, according to a Washington Post review of the companies’ misinformation labeling practices.

New York Times: Fed Up With Political Text Messages? Read On.

By Natasha Singer

.....In October, people in the United States received an estimated 1.29 billion political text messages — about twice as many as in April — according to RoboKiller, an app that blocks Robocalls and spam texts. Many voters have complaints about it.

In response to recent questions from The New York Times, more than 940 readers across the political spectrum shared their experiences, describing a hail of inflammatory messages from both parties...

Washington Post: D.C. elections board denies Silverman’s request to vacate ruling on Ward 3 poll

By Michael Brice-Saddler

.....The D.C. Board of Elections ruled Friday that city council member Elissa Silverman’s due-process rights were not violated when the Office of Campaign Finance determined that she misspent public campaign funds on polling for the Ward 3 Democratic primary, despite her objections about the breadth and timeline of the probe.

OC Register: California campaign finance law could lead to big change for local politics

By Andre Mouchard

.....A new campaign finance law aimed at bringing more transparency to local politics soon figures to reshape the role of money in virtually every city and county office in California.

OBP: Facebook parent company Meta ordered to pay more than $35 million to Washington

By Elizabeth Castillo 

.....Meta was recently ordered to pay nearly $25 million in fines for violating Washington’s campaign finance disclosure rules. The company has been charged the maximum fine for violating the state’s Fair Campaign Practices Act, which was approved by voters in 1972. Then, the company received an additional fine of $10.5 million to cover attorney fees for the state of Washington. Bob Ferguson, the state’s attorney general, filed the lawsuit against the company. He joins us with details about the penalty.

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