Blog
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Jan 26
2021
Ugly voices (continued): can we turn down the volume?
When extremists grab the spotlight, journalists face tough news choices. The question isn't free expression. It's how to do needed reporting while avoiding amplification. A consensus is forming on how to tread that line.
By Ivor Shapiro / Posted Tuesday January 26, 2021
Jan 14
2021
Why We Defend Nasty Speech
I don’t know about you, but I am not fond of humour that is aimed at humiliating or degrading individuals, even if those individuals are public figures. It is one thing to point out the foibles of people’s actions and another to make fun of someone’s appearance or other characteristics that are immutable. I am truly over racist, sexist, and body-shaming humour.
By Danielle S. McLaughlin / Posted Thursday January 14, 2021
Dec 9
2020
Ugly Voices: What's the Point of Covering Hate?
It’s a 44-year-old story that no self-respecting news organization anywhere would publish today—certainly not in the form it took.
And is that a good thing?
By Ivor Shapiro / Posted Wednesday December 9, 2020
Nov 18
2020
It’s Complicated: Six Things Worth Discussing About Free Speech
Well, hello again. Having ended last month's column with a candid appeal for readers to "talk back" about free speech, I was grateful to those who took me at my word. They made me think new thoughts, which is, of course, the whole idea.
By Ivor Shapiro / Posted Wednesday November 18, 2020
Nov 12
2020
Freedom of Information, Universities & Transparency: Lessons from Emily Eaton and the University of Regina
Access to information (ATI) is animated by a simple principle: the public ought to know. Despite governments unfortunately tending towards secrecy and risk-aversion, a free flow of information is absolutely vital for democracy. ATI, then, is an important democratic safeguard, to mitigate the negative predilections of government and ensure a robust state of public discourse. ATI legislation first emerged in Sweden in 1766, but it wasn’t until the postwar era that it began to flourish in a number of other liberal democracies.
By Dax D’Orazio / Posted Thursday November 12, 2020
Nov 5
2020
Prophet Cartoons and Free Expression
France’s obsession with depicting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad is back in the news following the murder of middle school teacher, Samuel Paty last month for showing his students a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad from the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Following the gruesome murder by an 18 year old Russian immigrant, French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “a typical Islamist terrorist attack” and praised Mr. Paty as the "face of the republic" and a person who "believed in knowledge."
By Abbas Kassam / Posted Thursday November 5, 2020
Oct 23
2020
Beethoven to the Guillotine?
In recent years, certain factions of the “socio-culturally aware” class have been sifting through history with the fine-toothed comb of 21st century moral superiority, snagging a host of prominent figures and indicting them for not meeting the rigorous standards of this particular moment (not year, or season, but moment, as the goalposts change by the minute). It doesn’t matter if the offender is Robert E.
By Daniel Lelchuk / Posted Friday October 23, 2020
Oct 8
2020
Dangerous Dialogues: How Speaking Freely Changes Lives (And Sometimes Ends Them)
Around the time the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was lying in state, my friend Farid reposted on Facebook a report headlined, “Accepting Israeli prize in 2018, RBG never mentioned Palestinians,” published by Mondoweis, a blog focused on Palestinian rights.
By Ivor Shapiro / Posted Thursday October 8, 2020
Oct 1
2020
Free Speech Caution Tape: Can We Trust Those Lines?
An easy mistake to make in any discussion of freedom of expression is to believe there is absolute certainty anywhere in the definition of that term. If you are jumping into a debate on free speech certain you know exactly what you believe (plus all the implications of that belief), chances are you’ve grossly over-estimated your own position. If you’re doing that on Twitter, either get your thumbs familiar with the block/mute functions, or free up a lot of time for an epic Twitter fight unlikely to solve anything for anyone.
By John Degen / Posted Thursday October 1, 2020
Sep 28
2020
Contest Over “Restructuring” and Collegial Governance at University of Alberta Could Set Dangerous New Precedent Across Canada
All eyes on the University of Alberta! Collegial governance is under attack there, along with the capacity of faculty to exercise their academic freedom rights. It is not clear whether the elected representatives of the General Faculties Council will have the meaningful opportunity to discuss and debate the restructuring process and proposed scenarios. If they cannot there may be serious consequences for the University of Alberta, and a harbinger of what may be facing the entire Canadian academy.
By Carolyn Sale / Posted Monday September 28, 2020