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GB News has debased the concept of ‘free speech’

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Friday 29 September 2023 18:00 BST
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Free Speech can – paradoxically, perhaps – only exist within universally applied guidelines
Free Speech can – paradoxically, perhaps – only exist within universally applied guidelines (GB News)

I was greatly impressed (and not only by that wonderful phrase “grim spousal duo”) by Sean O’Grady’s piece about GB News and the toxicity of its invective.

Our concept of “free speech is being debased by GB News and its ilk: if it encompasses free rein to abuse, then it degenerates into “bully speech”, and only the vilest contributors will dominate public discourse.

Free speech can – paradoxically, perhaps – only exist within universally applied guidelines, and is incompatible with abuse. The French have got it right with their mantra: “My freedom ends where yours begins.”

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