Blog
What you can do to stop SOPA
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 01/11/2012 11:44:00
- In: First Amendment
Last month, ASNE was the first journalism organization to announce its opposition to H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act. With the House Judiciary Committee likely to revisit the issue when Congress reconvenes on Jan. 24, and the Senate poised to act quickly if the House moves SOPA through the committee and a successful floor vote, this might be your final opportunity to register your news organization's views on the bill. We encourage you to raise the issue with your Representative or Senator during the recess, at an editorial board meeting or in your editorial pages, or simply by asking for their views on the bill during a town hall meeting. This is especially important if your representative is a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Last month, ASNE was the first journalism organization to announce its opposition to H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act. With the House Judiciary Committee likely to revisit the issue when Congress reconvenes on Jan. 24, and the Senate poised to act quickly if the House moves SOPA through the committee and a successful floor vote, this might be your final opportunity to register your news organization's views on the bill. We encourage you to raise the issue with your Representative or Senator during the recess, at an editorial board meeting or in your editorial pages, or simply by asking for their views on the bill during a town hall meeting. This is especially important if your representative is a member of the Judiciary Committee.
The rationale for ASNE's opposition to the bill is outlined in the letter we sent to the House, which is available for download at the bottom of this announcement. (A more detailed explanation is included in this brief document that describes common misconceptions about SOPA 
and its Senate companion, the Protect IP Act, or PIPA.) But it's also worth noting that it is unprecedented for ASNE to take a position against a bill designed to prevent content piracy. We simply do not believe that SOPA is likely to achieve its aims in a manner that promotes innovation and protects against the potential for censorship. Rather than rush the bill through both houses when they return from recess, we think Congress should consider less restrictive alternatives, pay close attention to those with true expertise in technology and the law, and move the bill forward only when questions regarding its effect on free speech and due process have been eliminated.