COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW – 16/05/2019
Mathew Ingram
The United States and Europe have very different views about speech. While the US is committed to free speech at all costs, the Europeans are more willing to curb speech when it expresses hate or causes harm. That difference of opinion exploded into view again this week with two diametrically opposed responses to the “Christchurch Call.” That’s the name that’s been given to a non-binding agreement a number of nations and companies have signed, pledging to take action against the spread of extremist views on the internet, after the ones that spurred the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand in March. In that case, the killer published a long, rambling document filled with alleged justifications for his deeds, most of which centered around white-supremacist ideology, and he live-streamed the shooting on Facebook.