In my latest for the Guardian, I argue that Superior Court Judge Merita Hopkins’ prior-restraint decision against WHDH-TV (Channel 7) last week is part of the broader culture war against journalism.
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Derek
“The philosophical case against prior restraint goes back to Milton, who argued in the Areopagitica (1644) that censorship was unnecessary because purveyors of forbidden ideas – say, Catholics – could always be burned at the stake after publication.”Brilliant. Love it.
JonGarfunkel
Shouldn’t the readers of the Guardian be informed that, thanks to the appeals court overturning Hopkins’s ruling, this is just another footnote in the “war on journalism”?
Dan Kennedy
Well, Jon, aren’t we in a fine mood this morning? I may (or may not) take a pass on your other comments, but I can’t resist this one, since it shows that you didn’t actually read my Guardian piece. Did you miss my reference to Judge Grainger’s “toughly worded opinion” overturning Hopkins?
JonGarfunkel
My mistake: I missed it. I read (skimmed) your Guardian piece. I just figured that the overturning had diminished this as a major case.I forgot to add a light note. I saw “Beat the Press” last week, and groaned after this exchange:You: “These fireman gave their lives…”Emily Rooney: “They didn’t give their lives, they were killed.”the damning pitfalls of disagreeing just to disagree. I apologize.