Free Expression and Democracy

Free Expression and Democracy takes on the assumption that limits on free expression will lead to authoritarianism or at least a weakening of democracy. That hypothesis is tested by an examination of issues involving expression and their treatment in countries included on The Economist's list of fully functioning democracies. Generally speaking, other countries allow prohibitions on hate speech, limits on third-party spending on elections, and the protection of children from media influences seen as harmful. Many ban Holocaust denial and the desecration of national symbols. Yet, these other countries all remain democratic, and most of those considered rank more highly than the United States on the democracy index. This book argues that while there may be other cultural values that call for more expansive protection of expression, that protection need not reach the level present in the United States in order to protect the democratic nature of a country.

Canada and False News.

Cover; Half-title ; Title page ; Copyright information ; Dedication ; Table of contents ; Acknowledgments ; 1 The Protection of Free Expression in a Democracy ; The Importance of Free Expression to Democracy.

Other Justifications for Free Expression and the Centrality of Political Speech The Sources of Protection Afforded Expression in Democracies ; The First Amendment to the United States Constitution ; Examples of Protections Containing Exceptions ; Canada ; Germany ; The European Union.

Countries without Explicit Constitutional Protections The United Kingdom and the Human Rights Act ; Australia ; New Zealand ; Similarities and Differences ; 2 Varieties of Expression ; Political Speech ; Literature and Film ; Communicative Conduct ; Art ; Music ; Dance.

Commercial Speech Conclusions ; 3 Incitement of Crime ; The United States and ''Absolutist'' Protections ; Balancing Provisions and The European Union ; Australia ; Conclusions ; 4 Hate Speech ; The Regulation of Hate Speech in the World beyond the United States ; Germany.

The United Kingdom Denmark ; Spain, France, and the Internet ; Australia ; Hate Speech and United States Law ; The Canadian View ; Concerns over Line-Drawi…