After the attack, writers and world leaders hailed Rushdie as a symbol of free expression. But the battle lines around his novel “The Satanic Verses” were never cleanly drawn.
Tag Archives: Freedom of Speech and Expression
‘Shock and Horror:’ Literary World Reacts to Salman Rushdie Attack
A number of writers and authors spoke out about the attack, with the author Neil Gaiman writing that he was “shocked and distressed.”
There’s More Than One Way to Ban a Book
A serious strain of self-censorship has taken root within the left-leaning publishing industry.
Don’t Drag Our Most Basic Rights Into the Culture Wars
Democrats should reclaim the cause of civil liberties as Republicans move to restrict them.
‘Is That Ableist?’ Good Question.
No one likes to be scolded for using the “wrong” language. But we must be willing to change our habits as attitudes and language change.
To Fight Book Banning, Support Librarians
Librarians respond to book bans. Also: The Jan. 6 hearing; a Supreme Court test; anti-abortion states; homelessness in California; acting for change locally.
Disinformation Has Become Another Untouchable Problem in Washington
Numerous federal agencies agree that widely promoted falsehoods threaten the nation’s security. Doing something about them is another matter.
First Amendment Confrontation May Loom in Post-Roe Fight
Without a federal right to abortion, questions about how states can regulate speech about it suddenly become much murkier.
Ilya Shapiro Quits Georgetown’s Law School Amid Free Speech Fight
Ilya Shapiro, who tweeted that a “lesser Black woman” would get a Supreme Court nod, was cleared by a school investigation. He decided to leave anyway.
The Amber Heard Verdict Was a Travesty. Others Will Follow.
Abuse victims now have another reason to fear coming forward.
The Supreme Court vs. Social Media
The court blocked a Texas law that would have forced large social media companies to publish all viewpoints.
Supreme Court Blocks Texas Law Regulating Social Media Platforms
The law, prompted by conservative complaints about censorship, prohibits big technology companies like Facebook and Twitter from removing posts based on the views they express.
How Some States Are Combating Election Misinformation Ahead of Midterms
Several states are putting more money and effort into combating false and misleading information about elections.
Russian Academics Aim to Punish Colleagues Who Backed Ukraine Invasion
A campaign is circulating a list of dozens of researchers in the hopes they will be denied the prestige of election into the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Jocelyn Benson: Protests at Judges’ Homes Must Be Legal, but They Aren’t Effective
Despite the terrifying experience of armed protesters picketing Jocelyn Benson’s house, she supports the right to protest outside public officials’ homes.
Progressives Can’t Stop Republican Censorship
The right’s political strength matters more.
Princeton Fires Tenured Professor in Campus Controversy
Joshua Katz’s dismissal is related to his inappropriate conduct with a female student, the university said. He says his criticism of a campus protest group is the issue.
Princeton President Recommends Firing Joshua Katz After Uproar
Joshua Katz says he was targeted because of his criticism of a campus protest group. A university report says the concerns are related to his inappropriate conduct with a female student.
Regulating Online Speech Can Be a Terrible Idea
Both sides are moving too hastily to regulate online speech.
Supreme Court Rules for Ted Cruz in Campaign Finance Case
The Texas senator challenged a federal law that put a $250,000 cap on repayments of candidates’ loans to their campaigns using postelection contributions.
Hong Kong Police Arrest Former Bishop in National Security Case
Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, was among three held for their work with a legal aid group that helped protesters and that officials accuse of colluding with foreign powers.
The Strange Afterlife of George Carlin
Nearly 14 years after his death, his provocative humor has been embraced by people across the political spectrum. What happens when comedy outlasts the era it was made for?
What Does Elon Musk Want? Is Twitter the Way to Get It?
America’s richest man tries to halt the liberal retreat from dynamism.
Elon Musk Hates Ads. Twitter Needs Them. That May Be a Problem.
Many marketers were already lukewarm on the service. Now, some may move their money elsewhere if the content moderation policies are relaxed.
Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege
The apartheid era created all-white enclaves littered with anti-Black government propaganda and sheltered from the atrocities of apartheid.
Partisan Fight Breaks Out Over New Disinformation Board
The board, an advisory group with the Department of Homeland Security, has become embroiled in the debate over the government’s role in policing online content.
What DeSantis and His Republican Allies Are Doing Will Have Grave Costs
Discarding core commitments is not a small concession to changing times but an abject desecration of everything the G.O.P. long claimed to believe.
Musk’s Ties to China Could Create Headaches for Twitter
Elon Musk has invested heavily in China, where officials are willing to influence or punish companies that cross political red lines.
Elon Musk Is the Problematic Fiancé Twitter Deserves
Perhaps — much as we might not want to admit it — it’s a good match.
I Blew the Whistle on Facebook. Europe Just Showed Us the Next Step.
To make social media less toxic, the United States needs to commit to making digital platforms more transparent.
Will Elon Musk Save Twitter or Destroy It?
Musk says he wants to transform Twitter into “the platform for free speech around the globe.” The reality could look very different.
Truth Social Review: Trump’s Uncensored Social App Is Incomplete
The Trump-backed social media app is inundated with phony accounts and features that don’t work. It also hides some posts, including those with curse words.
If Elon Musk Dismantles Twitter’s Terms of Service, He Might Regret It
Free speech absolutism might backfire when it comes to ining the company’s user base and profits.
What Does the Right Do When Big Business Turns Against Conservatism?
How conservatives put their hope in Elon Musk and Ron DeSantis.
Selling Twitter to Elon Musk Is Good for Investors. What About the Public?
The company’s decision to sell seems to have been based purely on the financials, with little if any regard for other stakeholders.
Elon Musk Is a Problem Masquerading as a Solution
What happens when the incarnation of a problem buys the right to decide what the problem is and how to fix it?
Buying Twitter, Elon Musk Will Face Reality of His Free-Speech Talk
Tech’s big shots have learned again and again that free speech isn’t so simple. What happens when Mr. Musk owns Twitter?
The Rise of the American New Right
A new generation seeks to shock the bourgeoisie.
Twitter Under Elon Musk Will Be a Scary Place
Mr. Musk has not been a responsible caretaker for the companies he already oversees.
Elon Musk Agrees to Buy Twitter
The world’s richest man succeeded in a bid to acquire the influential social networking service, which he has said he wants to take private.
E.U. Takes Aim at Social Media’s Harms With Landmark New Law
The Digital Services Act would force Meta, Google and others to combat misinformation and restrict certain online ads. How European officials will wield it remains to be seen.
The Elusive Politics of Elon Musk
The billionaire in pursuit of Twitter has often been described as a libertarian, but he has not shrunk from government help when it has been good for business.
Vladimir Sorokin Says Russian Writers Should Fight Back in War on Truth
With eight forthcoming translations of his books, Vladimir Sorokin is gaining recognition in the West just as, he says, Russian writers need to fight back in a semantic war on truth.
The Law That Shaped the Internet Presents a Question for Elon Musk
Section 230 gives companies wide latitude to host as much objectionable content as they wish.
Elon Musk, After Toying With Twitter, Now Wants It All
The billionaire executive recently became one of the company’s largest shareholders. Now he says he wants to buy the whole thing and change how it handles speech.
Elon Musk Is a Digital Citizen Kane
What would Twitter look like with Musk as its sole proprietor?
Why Conservatives Like Me Should Stop Maligning Safe Spaces
I often have to ask my students to keep quiet — all in the name of open and free expression.
U.K. Judges Quit Top Hong Kong Court
They had served on the territory’s highest court, part of an arrangement to retain links to the common law world after Hong Kong returned to China.
Is Free Speech Endangered?
First of a two-part series: Readers discuss “cancel culture,” civility and the First Amendment, in response to an editorial. Next: Speech and self-censorship on campus.