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U.S. FCC lawyer says agency can change rules on social media liability shield – Reuters Canada

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top lawyer at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Wednesday the telecommunications regulator has legal authority to redefine the immunity shield protecting social media companies that could make it easier for users to file lawsuits challenging content removal decisions.

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FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen at the headquarters of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

In July, President Donald Trump’s administration asked the agency to limit protections for social media companies under Section 230, a provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act that shields them from liability for user-generated content and allows them to remove lawful but objectionable posts.

FCC General Counsel Tom Johnson said in a blog post Wednesday “the scope of the Section 230 immunity shield must be interpreted by someone… the only question is whether the FCC or a federal court will do the interpreting.”

Johnson added that if the FCC narrows social media companies’ liability shield it “would simply allow private parties to bring lawsuits, as appropriate, under other sources of federal and state law.”

FCC chairman Ajit Pai said last week that the agency will move forward to set new rules after pressure from Republicans in Congress seeking quick action to limit legal protections for social media after Twitter blocked some links to an unsubstantiated New York Post article critical of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Johnson noted the ultimate decision “whether this legal framework should be adopted” is up to the five commissioners.

Many legal experts and internet companies say the FCC has no authority to issue regulations under Section 230.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday “the FCC has no business being the President’s speech police.”

Trump in May directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to petition the FCC for changes after Twitter TWTR.N warned readers to fact-check his posts about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting.

The Internet Association, a group representing major internet companies, including Facebook Inc FB.O, Amazon.com Inc, AMZN.O Twitter and Alphabet Inc’s Google GOOGL.O said the FCC “lacks the authority to make the changes proposed in the NTIA’s petition because they conflict with the plain language of Section 230.”

Pai for months refused to offer comment on the petition. Still any final regulation could take at least another year.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio

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Jon Stewart Slams the Media for Coverage of Trump Trial – The New York Times

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Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Media Circus

Opening arguments began in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial on Monday, with much of the news media coverage homing in on as many details as possible about the proceedings.

Jon Stewart called the trial a “test of the fairness of the American legal system, but it’s also a test of the media’s ability to cover Donald Trump in a responsible way.”

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The Punchiest Punchlines (Insano Edition)

The Bits Worth Watching

Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, took the stage with Madonna in Mexico City over the weekend.

What We’re Excited About on Tuesday Night

The economist Stephanie Kelton will chat with Jordan Klepper and Ronny Chieng, the guest co-hosts, on Tuesday’s “Daily Show.”

Also, Check This Out

In “Under the Bridge,” Hulu’s chilling new series, Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone investigate the murder of a teenager.

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Jon Stewart lampoons media’s coverage of Trump’s first day at trial – CNN

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‘Decisive, definitive and regretful’: Iran’s foreign minister issues warning to Israel

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Jon Stewart rips media over coverage of ‘banal’ Trump trial details – The Hill

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Jon Stewart blasted the media for covering the “banal” details of former President Trump’s first of four criminal trials, which began with opening statements Monday following a week of jury selection.

In his Monday night broadcast of “The Daily Show,” Stewart poked fun at the TV news media for tracking Trump’s traffic route from Trump Tower to the courtroom, compiling footage from various outlets, as they tracked each turn his car made.

“Seriously, are we going to follow this guy to court every f‑‑‑ing day? Are you trying to make this O.J. [Simpson]? It’s not a chase. He’s commuting,” Stewart said. “So the media’s first attempt — the very first attempt on the first day — at self-control failed.”

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Media outlets have closely covered Trump in recent days, as he makes history as the first U.S. president to stand trial on criminal charges. Trump is also the presumptive GOP nominee for president this year.

Trump currently faces 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records in connection to reimbursements to his then-fixer, Michael Cohen, who paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election to stay quiet about an alleged affair she had with the former president a decade prior. It is the first of four criminal trials Trump will face, and perhaps the only one that will go to a jury before the November election.

Stewart, in his broadcast, took aim at TV news outlets, suggesting they were covering small news alerts as significant breaking news developments.

Stewart pretended a producer was talking in his earpiece and paused midsentence, saying, “Hold on. We’re getting breaking news,” and cut to a clip from an earlier interview conducted by CNN’s Jake Tapper, who similarly cut off his guest momentarily to identify a photo displayed on screen to his audience.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. Just for one second. I apologize,” Tapper said in the clip. “We’re just showing the first image of Donald Trump from inside the courtroom. It’s a still photograph that we’re showing there. Just want to make sure our viewers know what they’re looking at.”

Stewart shot back, saying, “Yes, for our viewers who are just waking up from a 30-year coma, this is what Donald Trump has looked like every day for the past 30 years. Same outfit.”

Stewart ripped CNN again for analyzing the courtroom sketches so closely, saying, “It’s a sketch. Why would anyone analyze a sketch like it was — it’d be like looking at the Last Supper and going, ‘Why do you think Jesus looks so sad here? What do you think? It’s because of Judas?’”

“Look, at some point in this trial, something important and revelatory is going to happen,” Stewart said. “But none of us are going to notice, because of the hours spent on his speculative facial ticks. If the media tries to make us feel like the most mundane bullshit is earth-shattering, we won’t believe you when it’s really interesting.”

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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