1/ 🧵I will soon pull out the stops with @HKFP's finances. We've 1 year to correct course without dipping into crisis/legal funds.

We will not mess with staffing/payrises, nor resort to paywalls or intrusive ads. We made cuts elsewhere & tried to shore up monthly donors.

And as FIRE’s Senior Scholar for Global Expression Sarah McLaughlin warned in The Daily Beast, we can expect more of this — and maybe worse — when Saudi Arabia hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2034. thedailybeast.com/saudi-arabia-h…

A dozen prison sentences for…*checks notes*... chanting at a sporting event?

That’s what football fans risk in Saudi Arabia. hrw.org/news/2024/03/2…

Next Tuesday I’ll be at UC Davis to talk about China, transnational repression, and U.S. higher ed. Looking forward to the discussion!

Free Speech Dispatch — March 2024 | Sarah McLaughlin

Alarming new legislation in Canada, worsening repression in Hong Kong, and online global takedowns emerging from India

Censorship doesn’t respect borders.

The threats to free speech in one country, and the conditions or events…

How can censorship in China, Canada, or India limit free speech around the world?

FIRE’s Free Speech Dispatch with @saramclaugh explains how one country’s censorship actions can have global consequences.
thefire.org/news/free-spee…

Featuring John Cleese UnHerd Sarah McLaughlin Talia Barnes Amna Khalid Zachary Greenberg The Spectator World, as always, @thefireorg & more!

New at FIRE: Free Speech Dispatch, a regular series covering some of the biggest updates in global censorship news. The first edition covers developments in Canada, Hong Kong, and India. thefire.org/news/free-spee…

Useful data point. Congress tends to focus solely on China's influence at U.S. colleges, but a smarter policy approach would include all vectors of illiberal and autocratic foreign government influence, like this:

Quote of the Week: “You can’t censor what isn’t said in the first place.” - Sarah McLaughlin thefire.org/news/why-india…

Again and again universities turn their backs on #academicfreedom , typically harming students and scholars of and from #China .

Troubling claims from UK academic who alleges she was taken off a course after discussing—even critically—data about modern slavery in China. Also says she was warned about hurting UCL's student recruitment and tweeting about academic freedom in China. telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/0…