Free Speech Vs. Threats

The following is a Medianote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in October 2016.

The Arizona Republic is the daily newspaper based in Phoenix, Arizona. Generally, The Republic is very conservative on its editorial page, which makes it a good match for the region of the country that it serves. However, the paper gained a bit of national attention recently when it endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. Some locals reacted badly. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Is free speech practical? Why is it worth the trouble?

•Vigorous opinions are protected speech. Threats are not. Where do you draw the line between the two?

•Has extreme speech on the Internet made our political speech more extreme, or is something else going on?

•Has the deluge of information from the Internet, cable TV and other places made us more tolerant of other opinions, or less? Why?