Free speech in America is under severe scrutiny. It seems every day, words are spoken and retracted, apologies are issued, tweets are deleted – many feel free expression has become imperiled. Debates about the line between First Amendment-protected journalism and theft of classified information rage. At the same time, hate speech is on the rise and its proliferation online has been linked to unspeakable violence. How do we limit the effects of offensive speech without stifling expression? When does threatening speech qualify as a crime? How do we strike a balance between safety and censorship?
As we’ve seen from the recent indictment of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as well as growing concerns about how to limit the proliferation of hateful and violent content on social media platforms, 2019 has already produced several, pivotal case studies that concern First Amendment issues.
On June 17 at 4 p.m., The Washington Post and the Knight Foundation will join forces for the 3rd annual Free to State summit on The First Amendment to discuss subjective interpretations of free speech protections when it comes to artistic expression.
Panel 1:
Artistic Expression and The First Amendment
How do you determine what is a threat and what is artistic expression? The First Amendment protects all expression, but there are rare exceptions for libel and incitement -- how do we determine what is protected expression in art that is often subjective in nature? A recent Supreme Court case about explicit rap lyrics provides a unique and rich example.
Speakers:
Michael "Killer Mike" Render, Rapper, First Amendment advocate
Michael Render, publicly known as Killer Mike, is a husband, father, activist, businessman and GRAMMY Award-winning artist. He is the host of the new Netflix series ‘Trigger Warning with Killer Mike.’ Render is deeply devoted to his community. For the past two years, he’s held back-to-school events offering free haircuts, braids, and school su ...More...
- 2019_DC_WP_F2S_P0_190617: Washington Post -- Free To State 2019 (0) -- Opening Remarks (Cameron Barr, Sam Gill) (14 photos from 2019)
- 2019_DC_WP_F2S_P1_190617: Washington Post -- Free To State 2019 (1) -- Artistic Expression and The First Amendment (Michael "Killer Mike" Render, Simon Tam, John Elwood, Wesley Lowery) (33 photos from 2019)
- 2019_DC_WP_F2S_P2_190617: Washington Post -- Free To State 2019 (2) -- The Assange Effect (Kalea Clark, David Fallis, Sanford Ungar, Sarah Ellison) (36 photos from 2019)
- 2019_DC_WP_F2S_P3_190617: Washington Post -- Free To State 2019 (3) -- Free Speech Online: One U.S. Senator's Perspective (Ted Cruz, Tony Romm) (27 photos from 2019)
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