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Why Should My Newspaper Pledge Not to Boycott Israel?

Leveritt, Alan
http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/freedom-press/why-should-my-newspaper-pledge-not-boycott-israel

Publisher:  American Civil Liberties Union
Date Written:  03/01/2019
Year Published:  2019  
Resource Type:  Article

An editorial by the publisher of an Arkansas newspaper expected to sign a pledge promising to not boycott Israel in exchange for the ability to sell advertising.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

When the University of Arkansas System began strictly enforcing the law last fall, it told us that we had to sign the anti-boycott pledge in order to continue running advertisements for the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College.

At that point, we had a decision to make. Times are hard in the publishing industry, and we really needed the business. But at what price? It had never occurred to us to boycott anyone, but the idea that the state would force a publishing company to take a political position in return for business was offensive.

We then learned the law offered to let us continue to do business without signing the pledge, so long as we accepted a 20 percent cut in our ad rates. I said, "Well, to hell with them." We were not going to pay a 20 percent tax for the right to hold beliefs independent of the Arkansas Legislature, at least not without a fight.

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