How does censorship of science fit into broader censorship efforts, and how did they play out overall this year?
Excellent op ed and report by @attorneynora
>> Over the past year, individual and communal acts of resistance have blunted the potency of Mr. Trump鈥檚 censorship campaign and contributed to his declining approval ratings. Unquestionably, more and more Americans are rejecting his overreach.
cc @pluralistic
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/opinion/trump-first-amendment-dissent.html
Nora writes: "Constitutional rights & democratic norms don鈥檛 disappear all at once; they erode slowly. The next three years will require a vigilant defense of free speech and open debate."
Importantly, as Nora outlines, the government can chill speech even if they lose cases: "these efforts work in concert in their frequency and volume... meant to overwhelm us and make us think twice about exercising our rights."
For more on chilling effects, see our panel:
https://knightcolumbia.org/events/the-science-of-chilling-effects
The *excellent* Free Press report is profoundly clarifying - reviewing nearly 200 US government censorship attempts on media, civil society, government, academia, law, and companies, classifying the methods used.
And these are only the most prominent cases.
