A Right to Offend

Over the past two decades, there have been a series of events that have brought into question the concept and practice of free expression. In this new book, Winston provides an account of the current state of freedom of expression in the western world. He analyses all the most pertinent cases of conflict during the last two decades - including the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the incident of the Danish cartoons and offended celebrities - examining cultural, legal and journalistic aspects of each case. A Right to Offend offers us a deeper understanding of the increasingly threatening environment in which free speech operates and is defended, as well as how it informs and is central to journalism practice and media freedom more generally. It is important reading for all those interested in freedom of expression in the twenty-first century.

ISBN	1849660034	Pages	432
ISBN13	9781849660037 (What's this?)	Weight (grammes)	703
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC	Published in	London
Imprint	Bloomsbury Academic	Height (mm)	234
Format	Paperback	Width (mm)	156
Publication date	13 Sep 2012	Spine width (mm)	33
DEWEY	323.44	Academic level	General
DEWEY edition	DC22

Introduction: The Argument Part One: The Challenge Foreword: A Lesson to the Circumspect A Story to Pass the Waking Hours of the Night A More Remarkable StoryGive Me More of these Examples Afterword: Perceive the Dawn of the Day Part Two: The Brief (1)Foreword: Actus Reus Supresso VeriActionesConsensuAfterword: Ceteris Paribus Part Three: The Brief (2) Foreword: Non SequiturCustos MorumEx ConcessisConsensus ad IdemSugestio FalsiAfterword: Contra Ius Commune Part Four: The Defence Foreword: Accedas ad CuriamMens ReaObita DictaStare DecisisAfterword: Post Mortem

Every generation needs to be reminded, in George Orwell's words, that "Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear". This message is even more important in our globalized and networked world, in which nearly everyone, it seems, can speak and be heard. As usual, Brian Winston is an ideal guide to the past as well as the present and even the future challenges faced by those who are devoted to preserving this most basic human right. -- Larry Gross USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism Brian Winston's A Right to Offend provides two important contributions to this fraught and often under-researched debate. He brings a welcome international scope of his inquiry, guiding the reader through the differing legal systems of, say, France and the U.S. But it is his frequent recourse to history that is most instructive...A highly readable and informative compendium on freedom of expression. -- John Kampfner, Former Chief Executive Of Index On Censorship The British Journalism Review The book is no slim polemic, either, but a meticulously researched 400-page demolition of arguments for the closing down of speech, not only in the press, but also online and, thankfully, in wider society, too. Winston does a sterling job of placing Hackgate and Leveson in a sound historical and philosophical context that includes John Milton, Salman Rushdie, the internet and everything in between. -- Jason Walsh Sp!ked Review of Books

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Free Expression in the Twenty-first Century