Examples of nonpublic forums include airport terminals, a public school’s internal mail system, and a polling place. Finally, some public property is not a forum at all, and thus is not subject to this forum analysis.
What counts as a public forum?
A public forum, also called an open forum, is open to all expression that is protected under the First Amendment. Streets, parks, and sidewalks are considered open to public discourse by tradition and are designated as traditional public forums.
Is Social Media considered a public forum?
The Supreme Court has recognized that the Internet in general, and social media in particular, has become a critical forum for the expression of protected speech. And the federal courts of appeals have held that the government can create public forums on the Internet.
What are the different types of forums?
- Discussion – Discussion forums are the most traditional type of forum.
- Question (Q&A) – The Q&A format presents the initial thread post as a question, requesting responses.
- Both Q&A and Discussion – Both Q&A and traditional discussions are enabled for this type of forum thread.
Is City Hall a public forum?
The public forum category includes streets, sidewalks, town meeting halls, and parks, among other locations. Because of the historic relationship between the public forum and free expression, the government cannot ban expression in a public forum.
Is TikTok a public forum?
That’s because TikTok is much more assertively curatorial than its competitors. It’s not a forum, it’s an editor. Its algorithm decides what each user sees, and it’s the opacity of that algorithm that presents the most worrying national security risk.
What is a private forum?
What is a private forum? An internet forum is any kind of online discussion board where members can discuss common interests and exchange messages. A private forum goes a step further by hiding its content behind a sign-up page so that only registered members can view and post content.
Is Facebook a private or public forum?
In what may prove to be a significant precedent, a US appeals court has ruled that Facebook represents a public forum and the First Amendment on freedom of expression applies.
Is Reddit a public forum?
With hundreds of millions of users, Reddit has become one of the most popular websites globally and has provided a platform for up-to-date news and trends. Because Reddit is a public forum, certain content may be offensive or negative to some people.
Is a school a limited public forum?
For example, an office building or a school is not a public forum. The government can impose reasonable restrictions on expression in a non-public forum.
Is a park a public forum?
The courts have said that national parks, unlike city parks, are not a “traditional public forum.” There are hundreds of national parks and each one is a different type of setting, so there is no one rule regarding free speech rights in such parks.
Are newspapers a public forum?
However, most school newspapers are not public forums, and because of a 1988 Supreme Court decision, school officials generally have broad leeway to censor school-sponsored publications.
Is a government building a public forum?
Public forums are publicly owned and open to the general public. Examples are municipal sidewalks, streets, and parks. Nonpublic forums include government property that has not traditionally been open to the public. Examples include schools, prisons, and the inside of government buildings.
What is the difference between public forum and panel discussion?
Open Forum (OF) is a broad discussion of a topic with high levels of audience participation. Standard room set: head table & lectern for presenters, chairs in a row for attendees. Panel Discussion (PD) consists of experts presenting specific topics with limited audience participation.
Is a library a limited public forum?
Public libraries are classified as “limited public forums,” which essentially recognizes that libraries have the ability to “regulate” speech and speech-related activities occurring on their property as long as the restrictions are both reasonable in nature and viewpoint neutral.
What is a closed forum?
The closed forum is a place that traditionally has not been open to public expression. Examples, in schools, could be newsletters or other means of communication not open to public use.
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_(legal)
- https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10141
- https://machealth.ca/help/w/faqs/156.what-kinds-of-forums-are-there
- http://www.artistrights.info/public-forum
- https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/why-tiktok-isnt-really-a-social-media-app/
- https://www.disciplemedia.com/building-your-community/private-forum/
- https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/07/facebook_public_officials_first_amendment_appeal/
- https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/thenow/what-is-reddit/1/
- https://uslawessentials.com/limited-public-forum/
- https://www.aclu-wa.org/file/101818/download?token=bUyq1tOo
- https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/about/faq/can-a-public-school-official-legally-censor-a-school-sponsored-publication-like-a-newspaper-or-yearbook/
- https://www.rcfp.org/journals/news-media-and-law-winter-2014/asked-and-answered/
- https://www.soa.org/Files/Pd/pd-2016-session-formats-detailed-descriptions.pdf
- https://sanjuanislander.com/opinion/columnists/19783/the-library-as-a-limited-public-forum
- http://principalsguide.org/importance-of-designated-open-forum-status/