In this lively discussion, Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, and Charlotte Lydia Riley, historian and author, delve into the complexities of free speech today. They debate whether the perceived threat to free expression is real or merely a reshuffling of power dynamics. Nossel argues for the importance of unfettered dialogue, while Riley examines the historical context of cancellation and criticism. Together, they challenge listeners to reconsider the balance between protecting diverse viewpoints and addressing harmful speech in a rapidly evolving cultural landscape.
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insights INSIGHT
Free Speech Under Threat
Free speech is threatened by government restrictions, social media power, and online mobs.
These threats create a chilling effect, leading to self-censorship and limiting open discourse.
insights INSIGHT
Cancel Culture: A Reckoning, Not a Threat
Cancel culture is not a significant threat to free speech, but a moral reckoning.
It amplifies marginalized voices and promotes broader public discourse.
insights INSIGHT
Free Speech Protects Dissent
Free speech protections primarily shield those who challenge authority.
Restricting free speech reinforces the power of those in authority to suppress dissent.
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Set in Lorain, Ohio, during the Great Depression, 'The Bluest Eye' tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old African American girl who desperately wants blue eyes, believing they will make her more beautiful and accepted according to white cultural standards. The novel explores themes of race, class, and beauty standards, highlighting the destructive impact of internalized racism and societal pressures on Pecola and her family. Through a non-linear narrative and shifting perspectives, Morrison critiques the systemic racism and social stratification that contribute to Pecola's tragic downfall.
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Art Spiegelman
Dare to Speak, Defending Free Speech for All
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Suzanne Nossel
The Free Speech Wars
How Did We Get Here and Why Does it Matter?
Charlotte Lydia Riley
This book assembles a diverse group of commentators, activists, and academics to understand the contemporary free speech wars. It delves into how the spaces and structures of 'speech' – including mass media, lecture theatres, public events, political rallies, and the internet – shape this debate. The contributors analyze historical developments of censorship, boycotts, and protests around free speech and how these histories inform the present. The book explores both the defence of speech freedoms and the ways in which free speech has been weaponised and used as a bad faith argument. It focuses on key battlefields such as university campuses and the internet, encouraging readers to be critical of how this topic is framed in the media.
Imperial Island
A History of Empire in Modern Britain
Charlotte Lydia Riley
This book tells the story of Britain's journey from an imperial power to a nation deeply influenced by its former imperial subjects. After World War II, as independence movements gained momentum, former imperial subjects began migrating to Britain, leading to significant social, cultural, and racial transformations. The book uses personal testimonies, oral histories, and popular culture sources to illustrate how empire continues to shape modern Britain, including its civil society campaigns against racism and the political role of the anti-war left. It examines key moments in modern British history, such as the Blitz, Live Aid, Britpop, and Brexit, highlighting the complex and contested attitudes towards empire and its legacy in Britain today.
Is Free Speech under Threat?
Charlotte Lydia Riley
Intelligence Squared
Suzanne Nossel
This book, part of the THINK AGAIN series, presents contrasting views from Suzanne Nossel and Charlotte Lydia Riley on the state of free speech. Nossel argues that the elevation of minority voices has led to an uncompromising intolerance that wrongly equates offensive speech with violence, resulting in an escalating free speech arms race. Riley counters that accusations of cancel culture and defenses of free speech are often disingenuous attempts to fuel a culture war, inhibiting a necessary realignment where hateful speech is called out and the right to free expression is extended to more people.
Many liberals believe that in recent years we have seen an erosion of the right to air unpopular opinions without the risk of being cancelled. We are in an ever-intensifying shutting down of conversation, they maintain, with constituencies on both the left and the right demanding that opinions they don’t like be declared out of bounds, socially, morally or legally. But some argue otherwise: that the so-called free speech crisis is completely a fiction. What we’re really seeing is a rebalance of power in elite institutions where privileged groups are being held to account for their words by others who have been historically excluded and marginalised. Intelligence Squared’s new book series THINK AGAIN, published in partnership with The Bodley Head invites two authors to debate the way forward. For the release of the first book, Is Free Speech Under Threat? Our authors are CEO of PEN America Suzanne Nossel and historian Charlotte Lydia Riley. The two recently joined Intelligence Squared live onstage in London to debate the issue. Chairing the discussion was BBC News presenter and Royal Correspondent, Jonny Dymond.
If you'd like to read our panelists' thoughts in the new Intelligence Squared book, Is Free Speech Under Threat? Head to one of the following retailers to pick up your copy.
Intelligence Squared 
