Censorship, Digital Media, and the Global Crackdown on Freedom of Expression

"“This insightful, well researched book is a clarion call to action to resist the wide-ranging efforts to quash dissent and free speech in public spaces and on college campuses. The thought-provoking chapters drill into domestic and international cases that expose how big tech companies, corporate media, and government leaders conceal, censor, and corrupt facts and truth at the public’s expense to advance their own interests, power, and profits. Historical and contemporary matters are masterly presented that both educate readers to identify and challenge menacing restrictions to expression that threaten the vitality of democracy.” Spoma Jovanovic Professor Emerita, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, and editor of Expression in Contested Public Spaces: Free Speech and Civic Engagement “Media freedoms are shrinking across the globe due to the rise of populist-authoritarian movements that consider ‘truth’ and ‘facts’ as threats to be ‘neutralized’. This compendium is a timely endeavor that helps us unpack and understand propaganda and disinformation aided by Big Tech and other neoliberal instruments. Written in a direct, accessible style, this book will serve as a valuable reference for scholars, students and general publics within the U.S. and abroad.” Raza Rumi Director Park Center for Independent Media, Ithaca College, and Lecturer, Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University “Given the increasing concentration of corporate power to surveil us across a wide array of media platforms and global state repression to encroach into more areas of our lives, Censorship, Digital Media, and the Global Crackdown on freedom of Expression offers an exhaustive collection that analyzes these multifarious threats that impact all of us. From the living room to the classroom to our jobs, digital media, once championed in utopian terms, has been utilized to threaten our civil liberties and collective action. This collection offers a sober assessment of the threats as well as provides some solutions to a threat that we should all take seriously.” Christopher Robé Professor, Film and Media Studies, Florida Atlantic University and author of Abolishing Surveillance: Digital Media Activism and State Repression “In response to the current state of restrictions on journalists, activists, artists and students, among others, Censorship, Digital Media, and the Global Crackdown on Freedom of Expression offers an assortment of theoretically diverse essays aimed at addressing the issue from a variety of focal points. From attacks on academic freedom around the globe, to concerns of corruption and collusion between big tech companies and the government, to the silencing of professional and student journalists, the essays in this collection illustrate deftly and comprehensively the widespread, multifaceted, and rapidly escalating attacks on freedom of speech and expression in both non-democratic and democratic countries alike. “ Chris Demaske Associate Professor, Communication, University of Washington-Tacoma and author of Modern Power and Free Speech: Contemporary Culture and Issues of Equality ""This is an invaluable collection of articles that give us the latest--mostly bad--news about the state of free expression in the United States and the rest of the world. Almost every page underlines the urgency of the fight against censorship.” Christopher Finan Former Executive Director, National Coalition Against Censorship; author of How Free Speech Saved Democracy: The Untold Story of How the First Amendment Became an Essential Tool for Security, Liberty, and Social Justice “This edited volume contains important insights about the global threats to the freedom of the press and its impact on freedom of expression. The authors of this book come from diverse and impressive backgrounds and contribute wide ranging critiques of government and corporate threats to democracy. This volume greatly expands our knowledge of the impact of censorship across the globe.” Susan Balter-Reitz Professor of Communication and Theater, Montana State University-Billings and 2023-24 Fellow, National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement."