Americans enjoy a right to free speech, and some public figures really exercise that right. The Constitution might not protect them the way they think it does, though.
Are we seeing Orwell’s dystopian vision of 1984 coming to fruition?
In the early stages of his campaign, Donald Trump eagerly made himself available to the press. As president, that’s likely to change.
Joe Skipper/Reuters
How can journalists resist a master media manipulator, reach local communities and sift through fake news and propaganda? Media experts explore the challenges of covering the next administration.
A more nuanced approach is needed to what upsets or disturbs people.
Protestants hold a Sunday service in the open air in Jakarta. Their efforts to erect their own church buildings have been blocked by hardline Muslim groups.
Cherian George
Why the Editors’ Code of Practice needs to be reformed.
Lionel Shriver in 2014: her keynote address at the Brisbane Writers Festival on cultural appropriation has unleashed a torrent of opinion.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Lionel Shriver’s controversial speech about cultural appropriation has made headlines around the world. But the debate need not be a binary one – novelists might approach characters from other cultures as ‘thoughtful tourists’.
Duncan Storrar asks a question on ABC television’s Q&A.
ABC
Freedom of speech does not mean you can say anything to anyone, regardless of the damage it does – an important consideration in the debate over a same-sex marriage plebiscite.
Cory Bernardi is set to introduce a private member’s bill to reform Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
AAP/Paul Miller
The Constitution’s external affairs power does not support Section 18C. And the section also impermissibly infringes the implied freedom of political communication.
A paramilitary policeman stands guard under a giant portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong at the Tiananmen gate in Beijing.
Damir Sagolj/Reuters
In China, art is called upon to promote the Communist Party’s agenda. But the staging of concerts here commemorating Mao Zedong’s death poses thorny questions about artistic freedom.
David Leyonhjelm’s complaint over being called an ‘angry white male’ could showcase the difficulty in launching a successful action under Section 18C and undermine an argument in support of repeal.
The government claims changes to Section 18C are no longer on its agenda.
AAP/Dan Himbrechts
Section 18C is limited in scope, and it would thus be wrong to claim that free speech carte blanche is under threat.
Tshwane Executive Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, surrounded by school pupils and officials, samples the metropole’s free internet service.
Pretoria News/Masi Losi
That South Africa has voted against rights enshrined in its globally celebrated, progressive constitution suggests a troubling indifference to its human rights commitments.