If someone has a private road leading to a nice bluff overlooking the sea, they might allow anyone access to the bluff provided they follow conditions such as not speeding, sticking to the road and not playing loud music. Free speech is not guaranteed if it harms others No, Twitter is not censoring Donald Trump. In this instance, it is not a government intervention that has blocked a person from expressing their opinions but a private entity with its own rules and regulations. There have been many instances where a news organisation or person has been banned from social media platforms - the most famous example being that of ex US President Donald Trump. Shutterstockīut what about when the free speech is done in a privately owned sphere that is available to the public – such as on a social media platform? What about free speech in privately owned public spaces? You’re free to drive on the roads, but there are still rules you need to follow. Most people are aware of these limits: we aren’t allowed to say fighting words, slander another person’s name, cause a panic, or incite violence, for example. We have the right to say what we want - to give our opinions, advertise, display art and protest - but within limits. We can believe the earth is flat or that alien cabals rule the world.įreedom of expression is more complicated though. We have the right to believe anything we want. In Australia, freedom of opinion gives us the right to hold a belief without interference, exception or restriction. Depending on the school and state, this amounts to about four lessons exploring democratic freedoms that allow for participation in Australian society.īut in practical terms, if a child gets sick at the wrong time and needs to miss school they’ll never learn about the most fundamental aspects of their own citizenship at school.įreedom of speech: a history from the forbidden fruit to FacebookĬhildren need to understand that when we talk about freedom of speech we’re actually talking about (at least) two things: freedom of opinion or belief, and freedom of expression.
In Australia, freedom of speech is taught explicitly as a concept as part of the year 8 civics and citizenship curriculum. But Australia is a party to seven core international human rights treaties and the right to freedom of opinion and expression is contained in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Australian constitution does not have such an explicit statement regarding free speech. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution proclaims freedom of speech as a right for all citizens. What do kids need to know about free speech?
0 kommentar(er)
