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The Story

Free speech on campus

The Story

The Times

Investigative Reporting, Daily News, Current Affairs, Uk News, News, Politics, Global News, News Analysis, In-depth Journalism, Long-form Audio, Audio Storytelling, Exclusive Interviews, Daily News Podcast

3.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2021

⏱️ 36 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The government is proposing new laws that will allow academics, students or visiting speakers the power to sue universities for compensation, if they feel they've been censored or if their free speech is somehow restricted. The announcement has been controversial, but is it the best way to encourage free speech on campus?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.

Guests:

  • Sian Griffiths, education editor at The Sunday Times.
  • Stephen Ceci, professor of psychology at Cornell University.

Host: Manveen Rana.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.


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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

My name is Tristan Redmond, and I don't believe in ghosts.

0:03.3

Well, that is until I discovered that a faceless woman was haunting my teenage bedroom,

0:08.7

and that my wife's great grandmother was murdered next door,

0:12.3

killed by two gunshots to the face.

0:15.8

In a new podcast from Wondry and Pineapple Street Studios,

0:19.0

I go where no son-in-law should.

0:21.2

Into the depths of history to ask,

0:23.4

did someone in my wife's family get away with murder?

0:26.4

Been all episodes of Ghost Story and free on Wondry Plus.

0:56.6

Feel good, travel.

1:04.5

Over the last few years, the role of free speech in universities has been shifting.

1:10.4

With more and more guest speakers being no platformed,

1:13.7

events being cancelled, and academics being hounded for some of their beliefs,

1:18.8

the world of academia is suddenly steeped in controversy.

1:23.3

Sometimes people on the other side may actually have compelling evidence in their favour,

1:29.6

and even if they don't, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't give them the opportunity

1:34.4

to tell us why they think their position is correct and then educate them.

1:39.2

The government wants to put an end to what it sees as cancel culture

1:43.6

and has proposed a raft of new laws that would allow academics,

1:47.6

students, or visiting speakers to sue universities for compensation

1:53.1

if they feel they've been censored, no platformed,

1:56.2

or if free speech is somehow restricted.

...

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