"A number of programming staff at a major ACE-funded organisation recently described to me how they were investigated by its HR department after inviting a gender-critical artist to speak. Their jobs are now in doubt because they “exposed audiences to dangerous ideas”. - Unherd
Now students are intimidated by anything over 10 pages and seem to walk away from readings of as little as 20 pages with no real understanding. Even smart and motivated students struggle to do more with written texts than extract decontextualized take-aways. - Slate
In the ruling, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín threw out claims on vicarious copyright infringement, DMCA violations, negligence, and unjust enrichment. The court did not believe the plaintiffs’ allegations of unlawful business practices and fraudulent conduct related to unfair competition. - The Verge
"Artists, writers and musicians have reacted with fury to an Arts Council England warning that “political statements” could break funding agreements. ... ACE advised the organisations it funds to be wary of 'overtly political or activist' statements made in a personal capacity by people linked to them." - The Guardian
As the quantity and quality of professional arts coverage and criticism in major media outlets erodes, so too does much of the public’s awareness of, attention to, and discussion about the arts. And yet, alternative sources of arts coverage are surfacing. But are they too little, too underachieving, and too late? - Arts Fuse
Last month, the territory's Arts Development Council abruptly decided to withhold funding for a major theater awards event because (it later revealed) two disfavored writers were there. Now the entire arts community is nervous about how they might unknowingly violate China's sweeping national security law. - South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
"Responding to residents’ fears that Venice is becoming a glorified water park, this city that has drawn awestruck visitors since the Middle Ages is seeking to become a laboratory for how to deal with a modern ill: tourists inundating Instagrammable destinations from Savannah, Georgia to Hallstatt, Austria." - The Washington Post (MSN)
Released just last month, the most recent research shows that, while Calgarians are still interested in engaging in the arts, audiences are much more selective about what they attend. Affordability is an issue, but so is the amount of discretionary time available to take in the arts. - Calgary Herald
"We need to stop treating museums, theaters and galleries like sacred spaces that exist in some rarefied realm of public life. And we need to start treating them — and funding them — like interstate highways, high-speed internet and other infrastructure projects, using money that’s earmarked to maintain the country’s infrastructure." - The New York Times
So reports Wisconsin Public Radio, which says that the state spends 18 cents per resident, while neighboring Minnesota spends $9.67 (53 times as much) and Illinois spends $5.11 (28 times as much). Still, the Badger State isn't 50th: Georgia's arts funding is 15 cents per capita. - Wisconsin Public Radio
U.S. District Judge William Orrick, in an order issued on Thursday night, rebuffed arguments from StabilityAI, Midjourney and StabilityAI that they are entitled to a First Amendment defense arising under a California statute allowing for the early dismissal of claims. - The Hollywood Reporter
RWB spokesperson Jocelyn Unrau said criminals used stolen credit card numbers to buy tickets, then sold them to unwitting customers through online resale platforms. - CBC
The prime minister said the media company that runs CTV and many radio stations had made “a garbage decision.” He added “that media layoffs have been eroding Canada’s 'very democracy' at a time that people need reliable news sources more than ever.” - MSN (Financial Post)
"This isn’t just about hip-hop. This is about Afrobeat, Latin music and the genres that the ‘mainstream' overlooks.” And evidence, based on many years of discussions, call-out speeches, statistics, and more, says that the Recording Academy does not really give a damn. - HuffPost
