Affiliate Faculty of Law, University of Otago
A Skeptics' Guide to Free Speech
1 February 2019
The 'free speech' debate is not a new one for NZ. But the past couple of years have certainly brought it into the spotlight. The screening of the anti-vaxxer film Vaxxed, the racist cartoons of Al Nisbet, the visits of the controversial Canadians Southern and Molyneux – the contentious case studies seem just to keep on coming. Magnified through the lens of social media, these have broadened the discussion about important matters, but have also risked polarisation and at times confusion, as half-truths and memes have sometimes replaced informed discussion.