June 03, 2015

Prof. Varol Discusses Free Speech With David McCraw of The New York Times

The City Club of Portland hosted a conversation between Lewis & Clark Law Professor Ozan Varol and Vice President of the New York Times, David McCraw.  The conversation, titled “What News Isn’t Fit to Print?,” focused on freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the aftermath of attacks on cartoonists in Denmark and France.
On Friday, May 29, 2015, the City Club of Portland hosted a conversation between Lewis & Clark Law Professor Ozan Varol and Vice President of the New York Times, David McCraw. The conversation, titled “What News Isn’t Fit to Print?,” focused on freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the aftermath of attacks on cartoonists in Denmark and France.

Professor Varol and Mr. McCraw discussed, among other topics, why the New York Times decided not to republish the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad that originally ran in the French publication Charlie Hebdo; how to protect free speech without embracing its content; divergent global perspectives on the line between protected free expression and hate speech; and how to defend the principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press while ensuring that vulnerable minority populations are not bullied or victimized.

Watch the City Club recording here.


You can follow Professor Varol’s writing on his blog and download a free chapter from his upcoming book, The Democratic Coup d’État.