Relevant Links
Free Speech Debate (http://freespeechdebate.com/) is a global, multilingual website for the discussion of free speech in the age of mass migration and the internet. Ten draft principles for global free speech are laid out, together with explanations and case studies - all for debate. Prominent figures from diverse cultures, faiths and political tendencies are interviewed and asked to comment through video, audio and text. Individual users from across the world are strongly encouraged to take part in the online discussion. They can propose new case studies and suggest revised or entirely new principles.
The project is programmatically dedicated to taking the free speech debate beyond the west and global north, into the east and south. The entire editorial content is carefully translated into 13 languages, covering more than 80% of the world's internet users, by native-speakers of those languages (mainly graduate students at Oxford University). Anyone can then contribute to the online discussion in these or any other widely used languages, and there is a facility to give a rough translation of every user-generated comment into most languages using machine translation.
The website is actively moderated by, and the original content generated by, an international team at Oxford University, working under the leadership of Timothy Garton Ash. Free Speech Debate is a research project of the Dahrendorf Programme for the Study of Freedom at St Antony's College.
| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Creative Commons | 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. | Aryeh Neier | 29 Jun 2016 |
| 19 | Creative Commons | Tim Wu on the right to be forgotten | The author of the Master Switch says that while the right to be forgotten is a good idea in theory, the reality is that it may hamper entrepreneurship in Europe. | Tim Wu | 29 Jun 2016 |
| 18 | Creative Commons | Susan Benesch on dangerous speech | In this interview with Timothy Garton Ash, Susan Benesch, senior fellow at the World Policy Institute, makes a distinction between hate speech and dangerous speech. | Susan Benesch | 28 Jun 2016 |
| 17 | Creative Commons | Irshad Manji on Allah, Liberty and Love | The director of the Moral Courage Project says so-called “respect” for Muslims is often lined with fear and “low expectations” of those practising the faith. | Irshad Manji | 28 Jun 2016 |
| 16 | Creative Commons | Should Europe introduce a ‘right to blaspheme’? | Alain Bouldoires talks to Timothy Garton Ash about the survival of blasphemy laws in Europe, and calls for a ‘right to blaspheme’. | Alain Bouldoires | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 15 | Creative Commons | Jytte Klausen on Yale University and the Danish cartoons | Professor Jytte Klausen analyses and criticises Yale University Press’s decision to remove images of Muhammad from her scholarly book on the Danish cartoons controversy. | Jytte Klausen | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 14 | Creative Commons | Rae Langton on philosophy, free speech and pornography | In this interview for Free Speech Debate, renowned Philosophy Professor Rae Langton speaks about the value of philosophy for our understanding of free speech and discusses aspects of her work on pornography and the silencing of women. | Rae Langton | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 13 | Creative Commons | Giles Fraser on free speech and religion | Giles Fraser, commentator and Anglican priest, talks with Free Speech Debate about the relationship between free speech and religion, and the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. | Giles Fraser | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 12 | Creative Commons | Mark Thompson on the BBC and religion | The director general of the BBC explains why it aired Jerry Springer: The Opera, and talks about different responses to Christianity and Islam. | Mark Thompson | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 11 | Creative Commons | Daniel Bell on Confucianism and free speech | Confucianism’s defence of political speech does not necessarily apply to other forms of expression, says Bell | Daniel Bell | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 10 | Creative Commons | Evgeny Morozov on the dark side of internet freedom | Author Evgeny Morozov highlights the dangers that sometimes emerge when governments and corporations harness the internet to serve their own objectives. | Evgeny Morozov | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 9 | Creative Commons | A former British agent makes the case for whistleblowing | Former British MI5 agent Annie Machon revealed, together with David Shayler, alleged criminal behaviour within the agency. | Annie Machon, David Shayler | 16 Jun 2016 |
| 8 | Creative Commons | Combining Freedom and Diversity: The Challenge of Religious Difference | Legal philosopher Martha Nussbaum gave the 2013 Dahrendorf Lecture, exploring how to live with religious diversity. | Martha Nussbaum | 21 Jun 2013 |
| 7 | Creative Commons | On Free Speech 4: The Power of the Web | Jillian York (Electronic Frontier Foundation) discusses the ethics and motivations behind hacktivism, and Lauren Wolfe talks about her new project Women Under Siege, a website that crowdsources instances of rape and sexual violence in war zones. | Jillian York, Lauren Wolfe | 24 May 2012 |
| 6 | Creative Commons | On Free Speech 3: The Fine Art of Activism | This month's podcast focuses on the sometimes fine line between artistic expression and free speech. It features interviews with filmmaker Nick Sturdee on the Russian art collective Voina, and stand-up comedian Tom Greeves on the UK's parody laws. | Nick Sturdee, Tom Greeves, Irshad Manji, Rebecca MacKinnon | 13 Apr 2012 |
| 5 | Creative Commons | Facebook, Privacy and You | Is the age of privacy over? Lord (Richard) Allan from Facebook and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, author of Delete, go head to head on privacy and the right to be forgotten in the internet era. | Richard Allan, Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Timothy Garton Ash | 30 Mar 2012 |
| 4 | Creative Commons | On Free Speech 2: China, Rushdie and the art of "Zuckering" | This month's podcast looks at Facebook's dominance and internet censorship in China. It features interviews with Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC, and Professor Tim Wu, author of the Master Switch. | Richard Allen, Faisal Devji, Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Mark Thomas | 07 Mar 2012 |
| 3 | Creative Commons | On Free Speech 1: Deletion and Denialism | Free Speech Debate's monthly podcast features a round-up of interviews on the site including Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, former Formula One boss Max Mosley and Chinese scholar Yan Xuetong. | Brian Pellot, Katie Engelhart, Jimmy Wales, Max Mosley | 01 Feb 2012 |
| 2 | Creative Commons | Jimmy Wales on Global free speech in the internet age | Professor Timothy Garton Ash (Director of Free Speech Debate) interviews Jimmy Wales (Founder of Wikipedia) on the topic of global free speech and the internet. This was the launch event of Free Speech Debate and took place in Oxford on 19 Jan 2012. | Jimmy Wales, Timothy Garton Ash | 27 Jan 2012 |
| 1 | Creative Commons | Timothy Garton Ash on Free Speech Debate | In this short introductory video, the director of Free Speech Debate, talks about the objectives of this Oxford University research project. | Timothy Garton Ash | 27 Jan 2012 |