Free speech can take many forms, including social media engagement, comedy, investigative journalism, civil disobedience and more. The First Amendment protections that safeguard freedom of expression are essential for an open and productive society, but political polarization, changing cultural norms and technological innovations have affected how we exercise this fundamental right.
On Tuesday, June 19, The Washington Post brought together journalists, technology experts, scholars and other thought leaders to explore the challenges and opportunities created by robust free speech guarantees in a diverse and modern democracy. Topics included net neutrality, political satire and the state of intellectual freedom in America.
This was the second annual “Free to State” program, part of a series of events The Post is producing in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Panel 5: It’s No Joke: Comedy and Free Speech
Comedy can be used to explore uncomfortable subjects, provoke outrage, reveal truths and hold leaders accountable. Emmy and Grammy Award-winning comedian Patton Oswalt discusses the evolution of comedy as a form of free speech.
* (Interviewer) Elahe Izadi, The Washington Post
* Patton Oswalt, Comedian and Actor
- 2018_DC_WP_F2S_P0_180619: Washington Post -- Free To State 2018 (0) -- Opening Remarks (w/Marty Baron) (15 photos from 2018)
- 2018_DC_WP_F2S_P1_180619: Washington Post -- Free To State 2018 (1) -- The First Amendment and the Law (w/Jesse Panuccio, Susan N. Herman, Suzanne Nossel, Ruth Marcus) (36 photos from 2018)
- 2018_DC_WP_F2S_P2_180619: Washington Post -- Free To State 2018 (2) -- One-on-One with the Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower (w/Christopher Wylie, Craig Timberg) (16 photos from 2018)
- 2018_DC_WP_F2S_P3_180619: Washington Post -- Free To State 2018 (3) -- Let’s Talk About ‘Political Correctness’ (w/Hari Kondabolu, Melina Abdullah, Dylan Marron, Sarah Ellison) (32 photos from 2018)
- 2018_DC_WP_F2S_P4_180619: Washington Post -- Free To State 2018 (4) -- What The End of Net Neutrality Means for Online Speech (w/Michael O’Rielly, Edward Markey, Jonathan Spalter, Robert Atkinson, and Brian Fung) (53 photos from 2018)
- 2018_DC_WP_F2S_P5_180619: Washington Post -- Free To State 2018 (5) -- It’s No Joke: Comedy and Free Speech (w/Patton Oswalt, and Elahe Izadi) (35 photos from 2018)
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