Gagging for Freedom?
Series
Where
When
Thursday, 28 Apr 2011, 06:15pm - 07:15pm

The Federal Court action against columnist Andrew Bolt has sparked a heated debate between those who believe that his comments contravene the Racial Discrimination Act and those who argue that the legal action is an assault on freedom of speech and democracy.
Whether you agree or disagree with Bolt, the debate has created compelling dichotomies, pitting freedom of speech against censorship, racial discrimination against political correctness. Objective opinions are muddied by subjective reactions to the personalities involved – divisive personalities like Bolt and Geoff Clark. Bolt’s writings are deliberately provocative – but does that mean he should be silenced?
Featuring
Featuring

Dr Leslie Cannold’s expertise is gender and inspirational leadership. Her public contributions in these areas have earned her awards for Australian Humanist of the Year and multiple notices as one of Australia’s most influential public intellectuals and women. Leslie is a nonfiction and fiction ... Read more

Jonathan Green has been a working journalist since the late 1970s. This makes him both very old and reasonably experienced. After an early degree-ending flirtation with public radio, the bulk of Jonathan’s career has been spent in newspapers, beginning with a cadetship at the Canberra Times and ta... Read more

Bernard has been Crikey’s correspondent in Canberra since 2008; he writes on politics, media and economics. He was educated at the University of Sydney, where he studied history. Before joining Crikey he was a public servant, and worked in transport policy and as a speechwriter before moving into ... Read more

James Allan is the Garrick Professor of Law at the University of Queensland. James is a native born Canadian who practised law with a large firm in Toronto and at the Bar in London.He has taught in Hong Kong, New Zealand and Canada and has had sabbaticals at Cornell and in Halifax, the latter as the... Read more
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