Op-eds etc.
The EU is passing legislation that will weaken free speech laws beyond the breaking point. Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has caused fear and loathing among pundits and politicians wary of his vow to revert the platform to its position as “the free speech wing of the free speech party.” These fearful elites might seek solace in Europe, where Musk’s techno-utopian […]
Opinion: America has a long history of defending free speech, even speech that hurts. Shutting it down now could have real repercussions for our nation. Read the full piece
The Forum on Information and Democracy announces the creation of the Working group on accountability regimes for social network accounts. Its steering committee will be chaired by Kjersti Loken Stavrum, CEO of the media holding company Tinius Trust and President of Pen Norway, and Damian Tambini, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the London School of Economics […]
The invasion of Ukraine is forcing a realignment of countries on the democratic spectrum to choose whether they will join the liberal democracies or a new authoritarian world order. A second or virtual front is taking place online to rupture Putin’s new Iron Curtain through cyber attacks, as well as interventions from non-state actors such […]
“Fake news” can be harmful, but freedom of expression and access to information is the best way to defeat Putin’s propaganda. The European Union in early March banned Russian state-sponsored media outlets RT and Sputnik from broadcasting, as a response to the nefarious pro-Kremlin disinformation and propaganda dominating those outlets’ coverage of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The ban […]
Jacob Mchangama piece in the Canadian The Globe and Mail.
The roots of free speech are ancient, deep, and sprawling. The Athenian statesman Pericles extolled the democratic values of open debate and tolerance of social dissent in 431 BC. In the ninth century, the irreverent freethinker Ibn al-Rawandi used the fertile intellectual climate of the Abbasid caliphate to question prophecy and holy books. In 1582, […]
A new EU plan targeting extremists ignores history’s lessons about the danger of restricting unpopular views. Shortly before Christmas, the European Commission—the EU’s executive arm—announced a plan with dangerous implications for free speech in Europe. Citing a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia” targeting ethnic and religious minorities, LGBT+ people, the disabled and women, the commission […]
In 1922, the USSR established the General Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press (known as Glavlit) to weed out “propaganda against the Soviet Union” that “stirred up public opinion through false information”. The mission of Glavlit reflected Lenin’s view that the press was “no less dangerous than bombs and machine-guns” and that its […]
Liberal democracies are passing online speech laws. They’re inspiring autocrats. Nothing more sharply differentiates liberal democracies from authoritarian regimes than the former’s commitment to freedom of expression. Despite controlling vast bureaucracies with near-infinite resources and overwhelming coercive powers, democratic governments generally accept that their actions are scrutinized, criticized, and ridiculed by the media, opposition, and ordinary citizens. […]