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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan
@zidan.bsky.social
7.2K followers 1.1K following 430 posts
Platforms | Press Freedom | Journalism Good takes and bad jokes. Dark humor and 🦋hite 🦋ine. Deputy director, audience, @freedom.press and @pressfreedomtracker.us. @zidanism on that other site.
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · Jul 30
In June, I uncovered a Google vulnerability that was exploited to de-index legitimate articles from search.

Google acknowledged it and introduced a universal fix.

But also, there is a backstory about a SF tech exec., a domestic violence case, and a persistent censorship campaign.

@freedom.press:
Censorship Whac-A-Mole: Google search exploited to scrub articles on San Francisco tech exec
A novel method of de-indexing websites from search results was used to bury critical reporting and commentary.
freedom.press
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
laurenleharper.bsky.social
Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 2d
Come with an interest in classification and how kitchen cabinets could possibly be a national security threat, stay for the cat who refused to get off the kitchen counter.
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 2d
Trump is using national security as an excuse to impose new tariffs on kitchen cabinets.

This is what happens when “damage to national security” has no clear definition.

It leads to overclassification and more government secrets.

Watch @laurenleharper.bsky.social explain.
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 10d
When news organizations decide to engage in advocacy, they’re actually very good at it, said @trevortimm.bsky.social at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social, urging media outlets to speak out on 200+ journalists killed in Gaza.

“The mass killing of journalists … seems like a great place to start.”
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freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 10d
Journalist Mario Guevara is being deported because the American government punishes reporters to protect its own power.

We should all be outraged.

freedom.press/issues/mario...
Quote card from FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 11d
A US journalist is on board. The State Dept. should be all over this and it should be headline news.

Neither is likely, because the government considers critics of Israel terrorists and the media often shuns reporters who oppose slaughtering their Palestinian colleagues.
dropsitenews.com
Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 11d
🚨 BREAKING: The Sirius-Haifa (carrying Drop Site editor Alex Colston) has been boarded by Israeli military...Contact with Colston has been lost; as part of security protocols, he and other...

🎥 “The Ship Sirius: A day in the life,” a video report from Alex Colston (@recolston.bsky.social)...
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 16d
My travel reading companions..
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freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 16d
Mario Guevara faces imminent deportation after being detained by ICE for over 100 days.

His crime? Livestreaming a “No Kings” protest.

If you were outraged about Jimmy Kimmel, you should be more outraged about Guevara.

It’s time to #FreeMario now!
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freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 16d
Journalist Mario Guevara has been in ICE custody for over 100 days "for doing nothing other than doing his job," @laurenleharper.bsky.social told @npr.org's 1A.

"The administration is using not just the FCC, but other agencies to really go after speech they don't like.”
The Trump administration’s relationship with the First Amendment
"They’ll take a great story and they’ll make it bad. See, I think that’s really illegal, personally."
the1a.org
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 16d
Your kitchen cabinets? A national security threat.

Your favorite movie? Also a national security threat.

Your favorite cocktail? Possibly a national security threat.

Here’s our current top five list of the dumbest things officials have done, or hidden, ostensibly to protect national security.
Your kitchen cabinets are a national security threat
The dumbest things the government has done, or hidden, in the name of national security
freedom.press
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tilleckert.com
Till Eckert @tilleckert.com · 17d
2/ I stayed by Monica Moreta-Galarza, who was seeking asylum with her family, until she was discharged from the hospital.

“Over [in Ecuador], they beat us there too. I didn’t think I’d come here to the United States and the same thing would happen to me,” she said in Spanish.
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 17d
Excellent, persistent line of questioning.

The answers, on the other hand, spiral from worse to downright absurd.
ichotiner.bsky.social
Isaac Chotiner @ichotiner.bsky.social · 19d
New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 17d
🔴 HAPPENING NOW: Join us for a conversation exploring new ideas to defend press freedom in Gaza, co-sponsored by @freedom.press, @columjournreview.bsky.social, and @columbiajournalism.bsky.social’s Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism.

Watch live:
Urgent Ideas for Defending Press Freedom in Gaza
YouTube video by Columbia Journalism School
www.youtube.com
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 17d
If you are a news outlet and don’t have a reporter on one of the boats that are sailing to break the siege on Gaza, “this is a political decision, not a news decision,” @dropsitenews.com’s Sharif Abdel Koddous says.

(DSN does have a reporter with the flotilla)

Live: www.youtube.com/live/LsAbOx4...
zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 17d
One small thing newsrooms can do is to make it crystal clear in every single story they write that there have been >200 journalists killed in this war and that Israeli authorities are not letting journalists into Gaza, @freedom.press’ @trevortimm.bsky.social says.

Watch live:
Urgent Ideas for Defending Press Freedom in Gaza
YouTube video by Columbia Journalism School
www.youtube.com
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 17d
I wish this event happened two years ago, when it started, @lailaalarian.bsky.social says at an event exploring ideas to defend journalists and press freedom in Gaza at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social (co-hosted by @freedom.press and @columjournreview.bsky.social).

Watch live:
Urgent Ideas for Defending Press Freedom in Gaza
YouTube video by Columbia Journalism School
www.youtube.com
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 17d
Watch this important event live in 3 hours: www.youtube.com/live/LsAbOx4...

I will be posting live over at @freedom.press if you wanna follow along.
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aclu.org
ACLU @aclu.org · 18d
BREAKING: Last night, an immigration board wrongly issued a final removal order for Emmy award-winning journalist Mario Guevara. ICE has detained Mario for over 100 days for his reporting, despite a previous order that he be released on bond.

This means he could be deported at any moment.
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 18d
Join a conversation exploring new ideas to defend press freedom in Gaza, co-sponsored by @freedom.press, @columjournreview.bsky.social, and the Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism.

🗓️ Thursday, 6-8 p.m. ET

Save the link to watch the event live: www.youtube.com/live/LsAbOx4...
Description of discussion about exploring ideas to defend journalists and press freedom in Gaza.
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 18d
We hate to say we told you so.

When the Disneys and Paramounts of the world cave to Trump, they open themselves and others up to more ridiculous demands from the government.

Media companies should stand up for the First Amendment to end this vicious cycle.
Trump slams Kimmel's return: "We're going to test ABC out on this"
Trump claimed ABC told White House officials that Jimmy Kimmel's show had been canceled.
www.axios.com
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 18d
"If your last name isn’t Murdoch or Sulzberger, the days of family control of publicly traded newspaper companies is over. But as the old model breathes its last, it was able to serve the public interest one final time," @joshuabenton.com writes in @niemanlab.org about DMN shareholders' vote today.
Dallas Morning News shareholders vote to deny the hedge fund Alden Global Capital
Is a newspaper a financial asset or a community trust? This particular standoff ended with an increasingly uncommon answer.
www.niemanlab.org
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 19d
No tariffs on you.
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 19d
@zeteo.com is really saying it as it is. In its IG compilation of remarks from Trump's catastrophic speech today, the outlet titled it: "Lowlights from Trump's batsh*t crazy UN speech," with sarcastic music in the background.

How more embarrassing can this country get on the international stage?!
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
freedom.press
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 20d
Join us for a panel discussion exploring ideas to defend journalists and press freedom in Gaza, co-sponsored by @freedom.press and Columbia Journalism School.

📌 @columbiajournalism.bsky.social, NYC
🗓️ Thursday, 6-8 pm ET

RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/urgent-ide...

And save the link to watch live ⬇️
Urgent Ideas for Defending Press Freedom in Gaza
YouTube video by Columbia Journalism School
www.youtube.com
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zidan.bsky.social
Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 20d
lol
marisakabas.bsky.social
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 20d
SCOOP — Part of the reason Disney/ABC may have rushed to sort things out with Kimmel is because tomorrow they have a planned price increase for Disney+ streaming, a Disney source tells me. With subscriptions hemorrhaging since last week, they couldn’t risk losing more users with this announcement.
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Reposted by Ahmed Zidan
jessicahuseman.bsky.social
Jessica Huseman @jessicahuseman.bsky.social · 20d
i just laughed so hard help
marisakabas.bsky.social
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 20d
SCOOP — Part of the reason Disney/ABC may have rushed to sort things out with Kimmel is because tomorrow they have a planned price increase for Disney+ streaming, a Disney source tells me. With subscriptions hemorrhaging since last week, they couldn’t risk losing more users with this announcement.
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