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| '''Free Republic''' is a noted ] ] activist organization and privately-owned ]. | '''Free Republic''' is a noted ] ] activist organization and privately-owned ]. | ||
| A self-described "electronic townhall," |
A self-described "electronic townhall," FreeRepublic was founded in ] by ] of ] as a ] discussion site during the ] years. Members would copy articles from other news sources and then the community would discuss them. The group first came to prominence during the ] controversy when protests and write-in campaigns were organized. The group also played an important role in the controversy over the ] where it again organized protests, including the creation of the famous "Sore/Loserman" signs. The group has also played a role in organizing pro-war demonstrations across the United States during the ]. | ||
| The community as a whole is united on certain issues, such as guns, abortion, and a hatred for the Clintons. On other issues it is quite divided. Three main groups can be observed: The moderate Republicans, who are very pro-] and the ], the ], and the staunch ]s. Collectively, they refer to themselves as 'Freepers'. Divisive issues include ], ], and the legalization of ]. The organization has a strong policy of not permitting any racism or antisemitism. The website also either removes or ridicules any leftwing view points from its discussion boards. Articles posted which contain leftwing views are customarily tagged with the words 'BARF ALERT' after the headline, a feature of FreeRepublic (known as 'FR') culture meant to warn the reader in advance of a leftwing view. | The community as a whole is united on certain issues, such as guns, abortion, and a hatred for the Clintons. On other issues it is quite divided. Three main groups can be observed: The moderate Republicans, who are very pro-] and the ], the ], and the staunch ]s. Collectively, they refer to themselves as 'Freepers'. Divisive issues include ], ], and the legalization of ]. The organization has a strong policy of not permitting any racism or antisemitism. The website also either removes or ridicules any leftwing view points from its discussion boards. Articles posted which contain leftwing views are customarily tagged with the words 'BARF ALERT' after the headline, a feature of FreeRepublic (known as 'FR') culture meant to warn the reader in advance of a leftwing view. | ||
Revision as of 01:35, 18 October 2003
Free Republic is a noted right-wing American activist organization and privately-owned website.
A self-described "electronic townhall," FreeRepublic was founded in 1996 by Jim Robinson of California as a conservative discussion site during the Clinton years. Members would copy articles from other news sources and then the community would discuss them. The group first came to prominence during the Clinton impeachment controversy when protests and write-in campaigns were organized. The group also played an important role in the controversy over the 2000 election where it again organized protests, including the creation of the famous "Sore/Loserman" signs. The group has also played a role in organizing pro-war demonstrations across the United States during the Iraq disarmament crisis.
The community as a whole is united on certain issues, such as guns, abortion, and a hatred for the Clintons. On other issues it is quite divided. Three main groups can be observed: The moderate Republicans, who are very pro-Bush and the Republican Party, the Christian-conservatives, and the staunch libertarians. Collectively, they refer to themselves as 'Freepers'. Divisive issues include evolution, gay rights, and the legalization of soft drugs. The organization has a strong policy of not permitting any racism or antisemitism. The website also either removes or ridicules any leftwing view points from its discussion boards. Articles posted which contain leftwing views are customarily tagged with the words 'BARF ALERT' after the headline, a feature of FreeRepublic (known as 'FR') culture meant to warn the reader in advance of a leftwing view.
It has been observed that the group has borrowed many of its behaviors from traditionally leftist organizations. The mass demonstrations are one example. The organization of boycotts, such as that against France over the Iraq crisis, is another. The group is funded through quarterly donations drives which mimic public television and PBS.
Because it has been a practice of its users to copy and paste copyrighted news stories in their entirety to its discussion boards, FreeRepublic was sued by the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. (Reuters and the Wall Street Journal were part of the original consortium threatening legal action, but they dropped out before the lawsuit was filed.) Many members view the lawsuit as an unsuccessful conspiracy by the leftist media to stifle the organization (Mr. Robinson referred to the suit as "a life and death struggle with elements of the socialist propaganda machine"). In a negotiated settlement, FR agreed to remove the posted articles, and paid these two newspapers $5,000 each. Neither party was awarded any damages, legal fees or costs. Today, other publishers, such as Conde Nast, have joined the WaPost and LATimes in objecting to the posting of entire copyrighted articles. Users now post excerpts from such publishers (as allowed by fair use), and the site filters submissions against a watchlist of 'banned' sources as a precaution against future lawsuits.