Free Speech Bites
Nigel Warburton spoke with Timothy Garton Ash for Index on Censorship's Free Speech Bites about the Free Speech Debate Project and global free speech standards.
When does hate speech become dangerous speech? Consider Kenya and Rwanda
The forthcoming trial of Kenyan broadcaster Joshua Arap Sang poses vital questions about the connections between words and violence, argues Katherine Bruce-Lockhart.
George Orwell, Burma and three challenges to free expression
Timothy Garton Ash delivers the Orwell Lecture at an unprecedented literary festival in Rangoon. He talks about three Orwells and three Burmas.
A Turkish journalist’s censored plea for press freedom
Kerem Oktem introduces our translation of a column by Hasan Cemal, which his newspaper, Milliyet, refused to print.
Who should guard the Guardian?
Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief of the Guardian, argues that Britain needs both a free press and reform of its failed regulatory system. Since this will require both time and openness, a new independent press regulator should therefore be given a year's trial run.
Free speech and the gun in Libya
Libyan media are crippled by their Gaddafi legacy. Without new regulations and, above all, bravery to stand up to violent intimidation, freedom of speech remains a distant dream, writes Jerry Timmins.
Is Burma sliding back into censorship?
For all its talk of press freedom, the Burmese government has produced a surprise new bill containing oppressive provisions and undermining the press council it created. Ellen Wiles reports.
The writer and the state
The relationship between writers and the state is complex, multifaceted and changing. At the Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 a panel of experts explores some of the issues faced by writers around the world.
“If you rattle a snake…” The Kenyan government bites its media
In 2006 the Kenyan police violently raided the offices and printing press of the Standard Group media organisation. What was the government afraid of seeing reported? Dominic Burbidge explores a revealing case.
Does India need its Leveson?
India has its own fierce debate about media regulation. Arghya Sengupta discusses how the shadow of the 1970s “Emergency” hangs over proposed steps from failed self-regulation to statutory regulation.
In India, too, people say self-regulation of the media is not enough.
In a panel John Lloyd, T.R. Andhyarujina, Harish Salve and Daya Thussu discussed whether self-regulation can continue to remain a viable way forward for the Indian media.
Tarun Tejpal on investigative journalism and corruption in India
Indian journalist and writer Tarun Tejpal speaks about development and corruption in India, and the role of investigative journalism.
Arundhati Roy on national security & the Indian media
The award-winning Indian novelist and activist speaks to Manav Bhushan about the limits to free speech in India, including government censorship through the media and "goon squads".
War is not cricket!
An Indian and a Pakistani student at Oxford reflect on how their countries covered the same story in their own ways. By Zahra Shah and Debanshu Mukherjee.
The Future of Free Speech
Human Rights activist Aryeh Neier speaks about the future of free speech.
The Future of Free Speech
Aryeh Neier, human rights lawyer and president emeritus of the Open Society Foundations speaks about the future of free speech.
Why Rwanda and Libya need free speech – and media regulation.
Jerry Timmins describes a new report on media in two post-conflict societies, and argues that countries like Britain should do more to support them.
A sticky WCIT and the battle for control of the internet
At the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), authoritarian governments staked worrying claims. But the US-dominated model of non-governmental internet governance brings its own problems, writes Alison Powell. Beware of the Clinton Paradox.
You can’t be serious!
The birthplace of western homo-erotica cuts a gay kiss from TV, writes Judith Bruhn.
Does freedom of expression give us a right to show videos of animals being crushed?
In 2010 president Barack Obama signed a law banning videos that depict animal cruelty. Judith Bruhn explores whether this is a justified restriction to freedom of expression.
Libel and cybercrime laws in the Philippines
Filippino journalist Marites Vitug speaks about her experience being charged with libel for her investigative journalism, freedom of the press in the Philippines and the new cybercrime law.
Does a murderer have the right to be forgotten?
In 2008 two convicted murderers asked for their names to be removed from Wikipedia and other online media outlets, in accordance with German law. Does the individual’s right to be forgotten take priority over the public’s right to know?
How Ushahidi maps the voices of those in need
Dominic Burbidge discusses how Ushahidi’s transformative crowdsourcing techniques have alleviated crises in Kenya and beyond.
Operation West End
Indian journalist and writer Tarun Tejpal speaks about development and corruption in India, and the role of investigative journalism.
Investigative journalism and human gullibility
Tarun Tejpal talks about how Tehelka uses investigative journalism.
Fighting corruption in India
Tarun Tejpal discusses how to fight corruption in India and the role of Tehelka
The subversive nature of writing
Tarun Tejpal speaks about the future of investigative journalism in India and the subversive nature of writing.
Defending Islam and free speech
FSD's Katie Engelhart sat in on this Frontline Club debate to discuss controversy surrounding the YouTube video Innocence of Muslims.
Has Innocence of Muslims ended the innocence of YouTube?
Join us to debate the role internet platforms like YouTube should play in setting free speech agendas in your country, your language and across the world. Online editor Brian Pellot kicks off the discussion.
Why the Arab world needs community radio
Social media and satellite television played a crucial role in the Arab uprisings, but Daoud Kuttab argues community radio must be embraced to effect positive change in the region.
Amelia Andersdotter on ACTA’s demise and the internet’s future
The Swedish Pirate Party's outspoken MEP explains why the European Parliament overwhelmingly rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in July and discusses WCIT, the internet's next four-letter foe.
Katalin Barsony on empowering Roma with technology
Romedia Foundation aims to disseminate an insider's view of Romani issues, empower Romani activists and challenge stereotypes through new media.
How ‘brown envelope journalism’ holds back sub-Saharan Africa
Dominic Burbidge explores the corrupt links between political elites and mainstream media that suffocate genuine democratic debate in Africa.
Should journalists need a diploma?
Brazil’s Supreme Court renewed a law that requires journalists to hold a university degree in journalism. A currently discussed Amendment to the Constitution could further restrict the country’s media writes Felipe Correa.
Chinese journalists test free speech limits
Former investigative journalist Haiyan Wang describes the ways in which Chinese reporters push the boundaries of press freedom. Interview by Judith Bruhn.
How impartial was the the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring?
A new report from former UN director of communications Edward Mortimer says the BBC's coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings was "reasonably impartial".
Why should Amazon be our taste and decency police?
The online retailer has been criticised for profiting from ebooks featuring terror and violence. No one should tell us what to read, says Jo Glanville.
Storyful: verifying citizen journalism
Malachy Browne, news editor at Storyful, explains how the social media news agency validates news content sourced from the real-time web.
China and “so-called freedom of speech”
China’s official media highlight Britain’s Murdoch scandal to illustrate western hypocrisy, writes Judith Bruhn.
Improving media ethics in Turkey
A grassroots organisation set up by journalists attempts to create positive change in Turkish media, writes Yonca Poyraz Doğan, a correspondent at Today's Zaman.
Free speech in an unfair world
Free Speech Debate's 10 draft principles benefit those in positions of privilege and power, writes Sebastian Huempfer.
Africa: media and free speech
"People in Africa don't have the freedom to speak freely and hold governments accountable," says Nqobile Sibisi of Highway Africa's Future Journalists Programme.
Ukraine: a raiders’ state
Ukrainian cultural journals have become the target of "raiders" – shady groups working on behalf of powerful interests who use bogus property claims to close down businesses, says Mykola Riabchuk.
Al-Jazeera and the rise of citizen journalism
Since the beginning of the Arab uprising, more than 70,000 videos have been uploaded to Al-Jazeera's portal Sharek.
Non-state censorship in modern-day India
At an event in Oxford in 2011, three Indian scholars called on OUP India to re-publish an essay which had been denounced by Hindu extremists. Less than two weeks later, the publisher reversed its earlier decision not to re-publish.
On Free Speech: The power of the web
This latest episode looks at the ethics of hacktivism, crowdsourcing in war zones and the right of Christians in the UK to wear the cross at work.
Judge grills mogul: the uses of transparency
The public nature of the Leveson Inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal has been exemplary, writes Timothy Garton Ash.
Frontline SMS: using mobile technology for social change
Amy O'Donnell explains how she's using text messages to help African radio stations engage their listeners on important political issues.
Richard Sambrook on the BBC & impartiality
The former director of BBC Global News explains what Britain's historic public service broadcaster means by 'impartiality' - and why it has not always achieved it.
Is China actually helping free media in Africa?
China may provide censorship tools to autocratic regimes in Africa, but western companies still dominate this market, writes Iginio Gagliardone, a post-doctoral fellow at Oxford University.
World Press Freedom events end with “Carthage Declaration”
The declaration calls on governments, media outlets and Unesco to enhance press freedom around the world.
Media ethics & the Anders Behring Breivik trial
Killer Anders Behring Breivik's testimony should be broadcast live to deter extremism, argues Anne Ardem, executive editor at Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.
Free speech in Turkey & the world – part two
Historian Halil Berktay discusses the denial by the Turkish state that the mass murders of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in 1915 constituted a genocide.
Free speech in Turkey & the world – part one
In the first past of this debate, research fellow Kerem Öktem argues that an individual's understanding of free speech is shaped by their personal history and geography.
Journalists do not have a divine right to invade privacy
Leading free speech expert Eric Barendt defends a British parliamentary report on privacy against criticisms by campaigning journalist John Kampfner.
Hasan Cemal: Freedom of expression in Turkey
From communism to Kurdish separatism, the Turkish state has used a series of pretexts to deny freedom of expression to its citizens, says journalist Hasan Cemal.
Kazeboon: Egypt’s anti-military campaign
In 2011, a group of young Egyptians organised public film screenings to expose military violence against civilians, writes Hebatalla Taha.
Wadah Khanfar on how the Arab Spring transformed journalism
The former head of Al Jazeera denies allegations that the network was in any way partisan under his watch, a criticism frequently levelled at the broadcaster, which is funded by the emir of Qatar.
Broadcasting a massacre
In March 2012, self-proclaimed jihadist Mohammed Merah strapped a camera to his chest before killing seven people in France. Al-Jazeera TV channel opted not to show the footage, writes Jeff Howard.
Hungary’s new media regulation
In 2010, the Hungarian prime minister passed a series of laws, giving excessive control over all private media to the government, writes Peter Bajomi-Lazar, a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford.
German legislation could hinder free flow of information
Germany's draft ancillary copyright bill would force news aggregators such as Google News to pay German publishing houses when linking to news items produced by their newspapers, writes Maximilian Ruhenstroth-Bauer.
The Mexican journalist and the “alcoholic” president
Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui was fired for publicly calling on President Felipe Calderón to clarify rumours that he suffered from alcoholism, writes Felipe Correa.
Orville Schell on the Chinese media
State control of media in China has certain benefits, including high quality television programmes, says Orville Schell of the Asia Society.
Rede Globo & the 1989 Brazilian election
Beyond Citizen Kane, a documentary on the 1989 Brazilian election, argues that broadcaster Rede Globo manipulated the montage in favour of one of the two remaining candidates, writes Felipe Correa.
Mark Thompson on the BBC & religion
The director general of the BBC explains why it aired Jerry Springer: The Opera, and talks about different responses to Christianity and Islam.
Paolo Mancini on media polarisation
The professor of political science says that while new technologies offer opportunities, they also lead to political and social polarisation.
(Not) reporting homosexuality in the Middle East
Media in the Middle East do not report gay issues in the same way as they would other news. By Brian Pellot.
Turkey’s new reform bill
The Turkish government has proposed a bill that will suspend all media offences committed before December 2011. But will the draft law actually improve press freedom, asks Funda Ustek.
Death of a journalist in Pakistan
Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad was found dead after publishing an article on the links between al-Qaida and Pakistan's military, writes Ayyaz Mallick.
Celebrity privacy register
Lord Justice Leveson's proposal for a celebrity privacy register that would allow famous individuals to opt out of the media limelight has divided magazine editors, writes Sebastian Huempfer.
Turkish journalists: Şık and Şener
In March 2011, two prominent investigative journalists were arrested in Turkey because of their alleged ties to a terrorist organisation. Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener faced 15 years' imprisonment if they were convicted, write Funda Ustek and Irem Kok.
Wenzhou train collision
On July 23, 2011, two high-speed trains traveling on the Yongtaiwen railway line collided near the eastern coastal city of Wenzhou killing 40 people and injuring 191. A week later, all traces of the train accident had disappeared from newspaper and television programmes, writes Amy Qin.
The right of reply in Germany
Germany has a statutory right of reply in the media. Maximilian Ruhenstroth-Bauer explains a path to defending your reputation without going to court.
Julian Assange: a journalist?
In 2010, Wikileaks released its first tranche of classified US state department cables. If Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website, qualifies as a journalist then he would be protected under the first amendment, writes Katie Engelhart.
