The Weekend Desk Report

For completists, there wasn't a column on Friday.

"A newly published study from Oxford's Jon Penney provides empirical evidence for a key argument long made by privacy advocates: that the mere existence of a surveillance state breeds fear and conformity and stifles free expression. Reporting on the study, the Washington Post [Thursday] described this phenomenon: 'If we think that authorities are watching our online actions, we might stop visiting certain websites or not say certain things just to avoid seeming suspicious,'" Glenn Greenwald writes for the Intercept.

"The new study documents how, in the wake of the 2013 Snowden revelations (of which 87% of Americans were aware), there was 'a 20 percent decline in page views on Wikipedia articles related to terrorism, including those that mentioned al-Qaeda, car bomb or Taliban.' People were afraid to read articles about those topics because of fear that doing so would bring them under a cloud of suspicion. The dangers of that dynamic were expressed well by Penney: 'If people are spooked or deterred from learning about important policy matters like terrorism and national security, this is a real threat to proper democratic debate.'

"As the Post explains, several other studies have also demonstrated how mass surveillance crushes free expression and free thought."

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U.S. Surveillance Court A Bigger Rubber Stamp Than Chicago City Council
"The secretive U.S. Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court did not deny a single government request in 2015 for electronic surveillance orders granted for foreign intelligence purposes, continuing a longstanding trend, a Justice Department document showed," Reuters reports in a story we're carrying this weekend.

Beachwood Photo Booth: Chicago Court
Englewood branch.

Where Have 4.8 Million Syrian Refugees Gone?
Perhaps not where you think.

How A Reporter Pierced The Hype Behind Theranos
"What people saw in it - other than Elizabeth Holmes's pitch that she had made this scientific breakthrough - is not clear. I've heard, and pretty much ascertained during my reporting, that the company did not offer any information about the science, and about how the technology worked, about how its laboratory instrument worked, or about its financials."

The New England Journal Of Medicine Is Bullshit
A stew of ethical issues compromises its authority.

Has The Library Outlived Its Usefulness In The Internet Age?
Good question!

The Week In Chicago Rock
Featuring: Dilly Dally, Buckethead, Courtney Barnett, Dawes, Shock Theatre, Ciara, Jadakiss, Apocalyptica, Fanfare Ciocarlia, RavenEye, The Darkness, They Art Is Murder, Rings of Saturn, William Fitzsimmons, and Fantasia.

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The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #100: The Gas Mask Draft
L-I-V-I-N. Plus: Leonard "Pink" Floyd; Johnny Oduya, MVP: No Danks You; Cubs Have Owies; Jake Arrieta vs. Dee Gordon; and The Everton Minute.

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The Sound Opinions Weekend Desk Report: "Jim and Greg remember music icon Prince who died on April 21 at age 57. As a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer, the Minnesota monarch dominated the pop charts and had an enormous impact on funk, R&B, and rock and challenged the way the music industry does business. Later, they review the refreshing release from Beyoncé."

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Weekend BeachBook

Journalism Professor Will Go To War For Free Speech As Long As It Doesn't Mock Him.

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Weekend TweetWood

A war profiteer, a climate wrecker, and a predatory bankster walk into a bar...#WHCD. #MicDrop 🎤

— Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) May 1, 2016

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The Weekend Desk Tip Line: Break in case of emergency.

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