This most fundamental of principles is under attack – from over-zealous law making, online witch hunts, and a profit-driven media offensive on the BBCIn our troubled and insecure environment, Britain has accumulated laws which curtail freedom of expression – in the name of national security and territorial integrity; and to prevent public disorder and combat crime. Laws which also compromise freedom of expression to restrict what we now call “hate speech”.Take the Public Order Act, which makes it a criminal offence to use threatening or abusive language with the intention of causing “alarm or distress” to an individual or anybody else who hears it. It is a criminal offence to use language, or publish written material, intended to incite “racial hatred”. It is a criminal offence to incite “religious hatred” or “hatred” against individuals on the grounds of sexual orientation.There is a growing number of people who believe you should be able to say what you like, so long as they agree with you Related: The arts, the law and freedom of speech Related: Why free speech is integral to the intellectual life of our universities | Catherine Bennett Too often university authorities are supine in the face student intimidationNews Corp and its ilk have a vested financial interest in reducing the BBC’s scope and influence Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After several stark years in which stores like Cody's in San Francisco and Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville closed and the nation's second largest chain is teetering more than ever, publishers and booksellers are looking for new ways to work together. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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