research paper fys

1. Jason Dandelet
FYS
Dr. Harold Blanco
Debate Research Paper
1-26-15
In the article Free Speech at Risk the topic being debated is whether journalists’ free
speech should be regulated or not. It is being argued that by putting regulations on what
journalists can legally report will make security less of an issue around the world. This is in part
due to the amount of terrorist activity that has been prompted from journalist reports around
the world. In July 2005 a series of bus and subway system bombings resulted in the deaths of
more than 50 people in London, England. In response the U.K banned all speech that could
“stir up religious hatred” immediately (Greenblatt, 2013). In 2006 a Danish newspaper Jyllands-
Posten published cartoons making a mockery of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. This was
followed by protests among the Muslim world which resulted in the deaths of 200 people.
It also has to do with the fact that in many countries around the world people are being
arrested and put to death for making remarks that are considered blasphemous or an act of
treason. In recent years the number of individuals arrested for saying or posting “offensive”
language on the internet has increased dramatically. Between the years of 2007 and 2011 only
three people were arrested for posting “blasphemous” content on social media. However in
2013 more than a dozen of these arrests occurred across ten countries (Greenblatt, 2013).

2. Many of these laws are ridiculed for most are laws that were set in motion hundreds of years
before the internet or social media existed. This fact is making many people disagree with these
laws and refer to them as “medieval” In Russia journalists are said to often be arrested and
beaten for reporting on matters the government sees to be unfit. Rajan Menon, who is a
political scientist at City College of New York when talking about Russia, stated “Many
journalists end up dead, assaulted or threatened for looking into hot-button issues, especially
corruption.” Since 2000 the number of journalists imprisoned has increased annually. In 2000
just fewer than one hundred journalists were arrested, while in 2012 two hundred and thirty
two journalists were arrested (Greenblatt, 2013). This is due to the fact that many governments
around the world are very much cracking down on reports and language that they view to be
threatening to their society or way of life.
Many benefits would be gained as a result of regulated free speech. Reporters around
the world are being imprisoned, attacked, and killed as a result of their reports that go against
laws set by varying countries around the globe. Regulated speech would not only make the
world a safer environment for these reporters, but would also not promote violence against the
reporter’s home countries as a result of offensive reports. This would allow journalists to report
on current events around the globe more efficiently and without fear of being imprisoned,
killed, or making their country a possible target.
The right to free speech carries with it some risks. Free speech allows individuals to talk
however they want about any subject and this is guaranteed to upset many people along the
way. An individual sharing their anti-religious views is bound to eventually result in some type

3. of conflict and may even lead to violence. Unregulated free speech also allows hate groups to
spread their message freely to the masses. These hate groups often use their messages as a
way to profit off of others’ opinions while making the members believe that their group is
actually contributing to a certain group based cause.
It is no secret that democracies enjoy the most freedom when it comes to freedom of
speech. In democratic societies such as the United States this debate over free speech can get
into hot water pretty quickly. The right to free speech is protected under the first amendment
of the United States Constitution which prohibits any law that favors a religion, any law that
impedes the right to practice any religion, any law that takes away freedom of speech, any law
that takes away freedom from the press, and any law that interferes with the right to peacefully
protest or to petition the government for a redress of grievances. In the United States
blasphemous and racist language are perfectly legal under the first amendment. Because the
United States upholds these rights that much of the world opposes, it makes the United States
very at risk when it comes to violence against the American people and international reporters.
This among many Americans is a big concern and many Americans are not supportive of the
idea of unregulated free speech. Terry Jones who is a pastor in Florida caused a massive stir in
the Muslim world when he led a series of Quran burnings. This caused a string of deadly riots
among the Muslim world in 2010 and 2011. The United States is the only country in the world
where free speech is protected so strictly. Because of this, even other Western nations do not
quite agree or understand it. Many countries believe freedom of speech should only go so far
as to protect the people but not have the potential to disrupt order among the country and its
people.

4. The idea of freedom of speech sounds great on paper, and in ideal circumstances
it could be one of the greatest rights an individual could ever have. Unfortunately in the current
world that we all live in unregulated freedom of speech has the potential to cause a multitude
of serious problems.
In the United States acts that are strictly banned in many countries around the world
are considered perfectly legal under the first amendment. This includes making racist remarks,
burning the American flag as a form of protest, degrading religious items or deities and many
others. These acts lead to nothing but conflict which can very likely end with violence. The high
potential for violence itself should make a strong case as to why the way news is reported
should be changed. The press should not be able to report on topics that are religiously or
morally controversial. The media should also be restricted from reporting on content that is
racist or could create racial tension among American citizens. Racismhas always been a big
problem in the Unites States and as long as the media keeps reporting on it the problem will
not disappear. All this does is create a split in the country and manipulates people into thinking
a certain way instead of forming an opinion on something themselves. Media should not be
permitted to cover stories about hate groups in America for all that does is further spread the
hate groups message and gives them publicity which is exactly what these groups want.
Unregulated freedom of speech for journalists is just not a good idea at this point in
human history. It promotes violence, hate, and prejudice against others. The regulations that
should be set on speech are in no way unreasonable and will not affect the right people have to
speak out against their government in a peaceful way. As long as this aspect of freedom of

5. speech is protected then there is no reason that “hate speech” shouldn’t become an illegal
form of speech.

6. Works Cited
Greenblatt, A. (2013, April 26). Free speech at risk. CQ Researcher, 23, 377-400.
Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/
Pomerance, Benjamin P. "What Are We Saying? Violence, Vulgarity, Lies . . . And The
Importance Of 21St Century Free Speech." Albany Law Review 76.1 (2013): 753-756. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.
Chong, Dennis. "Free Speech And Multiculturalism In And Out Of The Academy."
Political Psychology 27.1 (2006): 29-54. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.
Soutphommasane, Tim. "Free Thinking? Australia’S Race Commissioner Speaks Out On
Bigotry." Index On Censorship 43.3 (2014): 70-74. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Jan. 2015