Senior BBC journalist John Sudworth and his wife Yvonne Murray, a journalist for Ireland’s RTÉ news, have left China after mounting safety concerns. Ms Murray said her family left China due to the ‘pressure and threats from the Chinese government’ in relation to Mr Sudworth’s reports on the genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and…
Arts
Erotic artists censored by Instagram
Erotic art is nothing new. In fact, archaeologists believe that erotic art dates back as far as 37,000 years ago. That’s right. Even cavemen drew genitals. Take a look further down the line and Renaissance artists celebrate the natural formations of the body, painting nudes in what seems to be every other painting. Why then,…
Comment
Digital censorship threatens personal liberty
Being critical online of one’s state, of one’s government, and of one’s national leadership is perhaps something we Brits take for granted. A quick scroll through Twitter under #UKPolitics (or anything remotely adjacent) will find seemingly infinite opinions of the Johnson ministry, ranging from left-wing criticism to right-wing praise. Similarly, searching for #Labour will return…
Music, Venue
Has music censorship been effective?
Yes: James Ward Censorship has played a large role in the music industry since parental advisory stickers were added to album covers. I would say that it has been largely successful as it gives parents more choice with what they allow their children to listen to, especially in the US where the scheme has been…
Features, Interview
Anshuman Mondal: ‘The politics of free speech is never settled’
Anshuman Mondal is a Professor of Modern Literature at UEA and an expert on free speech. We met in his room, which has an unfortunate location within the Arts building. Although full of academics with such creativity and brilliance, the building may give an outsider the impression of a prison from ‘1984’. I sat down…
News
‘Freedom to criticise ideas is being eroded’: Oxford University student newspaper editor resigns following article censure
An editorial member of Cherwell, Oxford University’s independent student newspaper, has resigned following the publication’s refusal to publish one of his articles online. It has been reported that the reason for this refusal was due to the fact that the article in question ‘could be considered offensive’. Former Profiles Editor for the paper, Freddie Hayward,…
Comment, Uncategorized
To speak or not to speak?
The right to free speech originated as an attempt to limit the power of governments. It was about ensuring that the state couldn’t harass, imprison or shoot people for expressing their political philosophy. More recently this has developed into the argument that groups should have access to the means of expression. That’s why we have…
Comment
In favour of Jo Johnson’s reforms
[hr gap=”null”]This holiday, Jo Johnson implemented reforms to the university system that have been labelled as the biggest in 25 years. Amongst these was the creation of the new Office for Students – which will regulate university outcomes, chiefly, free speech. There will be measures to stop universities ‘no-platforming’ speakers with the aim to create…
Comment
Making a martyr? Free speech, social media and the alt-right
Despite the temptation to spend the summer days reading ahead for next year, often the holidays offer little alternative occupation to obsessively monitoring our social media. Nowadays a vital pillar in upholding contact with other humans, social media can be inflammatory and, since July, still reeling from what could prove to be a game-changer. This…
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