"Free speech for me, but not for thee"

I used to teach my journalism students that censorship could not ultimately prevail due to the Internet and the fact that people could circumvent specific instances of censorship because the Internet cannot be fully controlled.

Turns out I was sort of right while also being incredibly naïve. 

Free speech is one of those core American values that we are enthusiastic about in the abstract but that we are not so sure about in specific instances.

Right now the country (the world?) is engaged in arguments that boil down to "free speech for me, but you? not so sure about you." 

It wasn't long ago where we were deluged with all sorts of calls for "freedom of speech" on college campuses, and those calls came from right wing groups and individuals. Poorly written university policies that were too vague and too paternal have been under fire for some time.

Now the right wing is busy condemning the other end of the educational spectrum, trying to limit what can be discussed in elementary school.

Russia is engaged in a very successful censoring of all honest reporting on the war in Ukraine, with a tight rein on TV and newspapers. Still, some "truth" is getting through because tech savvy people will always find a way to provide some options for users. At this point, the only real Russian strategy would have to shutting down the Internet across the entire country.

The U.S. still provides almost unlimited choices in what media we consume, a crucial difference between this country and a dictatorship.

I am not a free speech "fanatic," as I do support reasonable standards as to age of those receiving the speech. I don't have a firm age cutoff for, say, discussing sexuality but the question is worth some conversation. But I assume we could come to some agreement on when certain books or movies best fit with brain development and society's interest in providing protections for the young. It wouldn't satisfy everyone, of course.

Lately it seems that many Republicans have decided that some speech is just so dangerous that laws need to be created to control it. I'm sure many would point out that Democrats have the same opinion about free speech, particularly when that speech violently disagrees with progressive values.

Free speech is more attractive when most of the country can agree on basic facts and values and can support the basic rights and humanity of those who hold differing views.

We are now to the point that we are questioning other people's basic thinking skills, morality, and ability to make informed judgments. 

Ideas are powerful and when we are not sure we can "win" an argument through rational debate and evidence, it's very human to want to simply shut down other voices.

Today's challenge for student media is to find ways to keep the conversations going, to keep asking readers to think about alternatives and injustices and traditions and compromise.