Half the world’s population cannot freely speak their mind according to a new report on freedom of expression.
In its annual report, the advocate group Article 19 found the number of people facing a “crisis” in freedom of speech and information was the highest this century after a sharp rise from 34% in 2022 to 53% in 2023.
“At no point in the last 20 years have so many people been denied the benefits of open societies, like the ability to voice opinions, access a free media or participate in free and open elections,” said Article 19’s executive director Quinn McKew.
Jordan Klepper just did a Daily Show special about the American right being useful idiots for Putin and a journalist was on it talking about how Moscow is now like Berlin under the Stasi. People are being arrested for things they say to their neighbor.
You can watch the whole thing here. It’s funny, since it’s a Daily Show special, but it’s also infuriating and horrifying.
Well something like 18% of the world’s population lives in China so that’s a pretty big chunk of folks right out of the gate.
Around half the countries in the world are authoritarian, so that probably has something to do with it.
Pretty much nobody in the world can speak truly freely except in like the anarchist areas of Somalia.
Otherwise there are limits. Even in the USA. There are literal criminal laws on the books in the US for speaking against Israel in any way, bolstered recently. This isn’t a “yelling fire in a movie theater” type of restricted speech that most everyone can agree on. This is just straight up censorship. And it exists for many subjects.
You can criticise the prez, but you can’t threaten. You must acknowledge certain objectionable truths as hard fact, or else be against the law.
When a study says “I am free and everyone who doesn’t behave just like me isn’t free”, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that’s idiotic.
A restriction on free speech that bans misinformation in the news for example is wonderful. Many countries have this. It is considered anti-free speech for the US where money wins.
You’re not allowed to talk badly about the people with the money. Israel has a lot of money.
Say it with me: FREEDOM OF SPEECH DOES NOT MEAN FREEDOM FROM CONSEQUENCES
threatening and intimidating people into silence isn’t free speech. that’s oppression.
Correct.
