More Events

Second PencilPALS event in Corona, Queens
WGAE Members attend FBI 103 Seminar
Ninth Screenplay Reading at the JCC
Free Speech Leadership Committee meets again

Past Events

Screening of Joe Berlingers's CRUDE
First PencilPALS event in Corona, Queens
Godfather IV Benefit
Talk Animation with Bill Plympton
TV and Film Writers Become ‘PencilPALS’
M*A*S*H Benefit

Free Speech Leadership Committee Meets for a Second Time

On the evening of May 24^th, members of the newly forming Free Speech Leadership Committee met for the second time in the offices of the Dramatist Guild, where they considered what the work of the committee should become. The group, which is comprised of leadership from eight creative organizations, is in the process of creating a rapid response system for matters of Free Speech that require urgent action from each individual organization.

The first issue discussed by the group was the recent censorship by Comedy Central executives of a South Park episode featuring the prophet Muhammad. The Committee members discussed selecting delegates to respond to such infringements of free speech in online periodicals as individuals commenting on behalf of the committee. Click Here to Read More.

The next item of interest was the court case of Liu Xiabao, a Chinese poet and scholar who was arrested by the Beijing Public Security Bureau on June 23, 2009 and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” for co-authoring Charter 08, a declaration calling for political reform, greater human rights, and an end to one-party rule in China that has been signed by hundreds of individuals from all walks of life throughout the country. For more information about Liu Xiabao and/or to sign a petition for his release, please visit the PEN website.

Next was the issue of Crude, a documentary by filmmaker Joe Beringer, which follows an ongoing class action lawsuit against the Chevron Corporation in Ecuador. Recently, a court ruled that Beringer must turn over all 600 hours of footage to Chevron for use in the class action suit depicted, but the filmmaker is appealing the decision as an infringement of reporter’s privilege. The possibility of a screening sponsored by the organizations of the Committee was discussed. (Update: Berlinger Wins Stay in Case Against Chevron)

The Committee will be meeting quarterly for long-range planning and follow-up discussions, with the next meeting tentatively set for September, 2010. A mission statement is currently in development, which will outline free speech initiatives of common concern to the participating organizations. The current participating organizations are The Writers Guild of America, East, The Writers Guild of America, East Foundation, PEN, The Creative Coalition, The Dramatist Guild, The Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom to Read, and the Authors Guild.