Assistant Professor Israel Balderas was interviewed by the national news organization shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that banned the popular social media app.
A faculty member in Elon University’s School of Communications offered insights into the value of free speech among young people for a Washington Post report on the impact of TikTok temporarily shutting down access to American users.
“‘The vibes were off’: How half a day without TikTok changed everything” featured remarks by Assistant Professor J. Israel Balderas.
From the Post article published on Jan. 22, 2025:
“Any time the government tries to control speech, the people will find their way around it. These young people are exercising their rights in this marketplace of ideas,” said Israel Balderas, who’s taught about the Supreme Court taking up the TikTok ban in his media law class at Elon University.
Balderas is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist-turned journalism educator. He’s also an attorney who has provided pro bono support focused on First Amendment protection for newsgathering. As a tenured-track assistant professor of journalism, who predominately teaches Media Law and Ethics, his teaching and research agenda focuses on government regulation of expression and newsgathering.