NWU meets with Europeans on plans for “out-of-commerce” works

Representatives of the NWU, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) participated in a workshop on implementation of the provisions of the EU copyright directive for “out-of-commerce” works hosted by IFRRO in Brussels on February 23, 2020. IFRRO and IFJ were the only global organizations represented at the workshop, and […]

Internet Archive removes controls on “lending” of bootleg e-books

Using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse, the Internet Archive has — without permission or payment — removed all limits on how many people can simultaneously “borrow” digital copies of some of its bootleg e-book editions scanned from printed books. Included in this co-called National Digital Library are bootleg e-book editions of 1.4 million books, […]

IFJ International Solidarity in the Face of the Covid-19 Pandemic

The following exchange took place between leaders of the International Federation of Journalists on Thursday, March 19, 2020 as the Covid-19 was wreaking havoc on Italy and Spain and beginning its escalated attack in North America. The international solidarity expressed here speaks for itself and offers some comfort and optimism in the face of this […]

NWU and APA call for changes to copyright registration rules

The NWU and American Photographic Artists (APA) called on the Copyright Office and Congress in March 2020 to reform requirements for copyrighting works published or made available online.  Though intended for writers’ and visual artists’ to protect their works without excessive “formalities,” the US Copyright Act is still requiring authors to register each of their works, […]

ANONYMOUS THREATS PUT WORKING JOURNALISTS’ LIVES ON THE LINE

 Hardworking African journalists are facing threatening phone calls, cyberattacks, and other forms of intimidation as they attempt to report on government dysfunction and the actions of security forces tracking terror groups. According to Reporters Without Borders, journalists around the world are seeing increased fear and violence, and sub-Saharan Africa has not avoided the latest decline […]

NWU Lobbies for Paid Sick Days, and Against Wage Theft and Misclassification

Six members of the National Writers Union joined approximately 150 members of various UAW locals from Regions 9 and 9A at the New York State Community Action Program (CAP) Council’s 2020 Political Education/Lobbying Conference in Albany, New York, March 1 – 4. Inspiring, instructive speeches were offered by the New York State chairman of the […]

NWU-NY Co-Chair Raymond Nat Turner Day in Berkeley, CA

Tuesday February 25 was proclaimed “Raymond Nat Turner Day” in Berkeley. Never in my wildest imagination had I dreamed of having a day in my honor. Had I bothered dreaming, the Peoples’ Republic of Berkeley—which has  paid holidays commemorating Malcolm X and Indigenous Peoples Day as well as MLK—would certainly have been the setting. The […]

NWU Attends International Conference on Social Media in Qatar

The Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign have reportedly compiled an average of 3,000 data points on every voter in America. They have spent years experimenting with ways to tweak their messages based not just on gender and geography, but on whether you own a gun or play golf.

Not Just About Race: American Dirt has Class Issue

The novel American Dirt chronicles a middle-class Mexican woman and her son on a harrowing journey to the US as they flee cartel violence. Jeanine Cummins’ book is at the center of a train wreck in publishing for its obvious race problems and less visible class issues. The publisher, Macmillian, insisted on positioning the work […]

Close the Camps!

New York, NY February 16 – NWU members joined around 500 activists in a march organized by Close the Camps to the New York Time Square headquarters of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters, a media conglomerate has lucrative contracts with the government to provide immigrant-tracking data that directly empowers U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) […]