Friday 20 December 2019

Free Speech is for Me: The Class of 2020

Free speech is in danger of being co-opted by extremists. This has led to all sorts of effects on our societies, from “deplatforming” on social media and in debates, to proposed laws on curbing speech which might cause offence. Here at Index, we want to push back against that.

We will train up a new generation of free speech activists, from diverse backgrounds, with diverse opinions, and reclaim this freedom for all of us. We have gathered a team of 13 advocates in the UK and US and are supporting them with 13 mentors. Meet the Class of 2020 here

Subscribe to Index on Censorship magazine

The winter magazine is out now

We are living in the age of the macho leaders. All around the world, these so called "strong men" have stormed the polls and are coming to power. They are being voted in democratically yes, but what they stand for is disastrous for democracy. Not only do they have little time for free speech, their entire image is often constructed around a very delicate type of masculinity that does not accept criticism or dissent. This is what we discuss in the winter 2019 issue of Index on Censorship magazine. Buy your copy here

Join the magazine launch party and debate

The launch centres on the theme of macho leaders and their attempts to silence freedom of expression. Speakers include, from left, Xiaolu Guo, Chinese novelist, essayist, screenwriter, film-maker and author of the bestselling A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers; Rob Sears, author of the hit humour titles The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: Life Coach, and Dora Papp, a Hungarian activist, who helped elect the new opposition mayor of Budapest. The event is on Wednesday 15 January at Google HQ. Reserve your free spot

The Index Winter Podcast: How Macho Leaders Hide Their Weakness

"He’s manipulating the media on every single front every day and they’re falling for it." - @richardhine aka @realDonalDrumpf on Trump. Listen now

The full contents of the winter issue

Index on Censorship CEO Jodie Ginsberg to step down in 2020

The board, chaired by Trevor Phillips since 2018, will launch the search for a new chief executive. Read the full story

Undermining trust in the media: update

This week Index updated an alert on the Council of Europe platform promoting the protection of journalism, on several incidents linked to the UK’s General Election. A government source said they are "withdrawing engagement" from the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, saying the show only speaks to a metropolitan bubble. The Treasury also confirmed that the UK Prime Minister is reviewing whether non-payment of the BBC licence fee should be decriminalised. Index had earlier drawn attention to the Conservative Party banning the Daily Mirror from travelling on its campaign bus and the Tory press office changing its Twitter handle to “factcheckUK” during a leaders’ debate.

Slander, shame, jail, divide and kill: five easy steps to silence an environmentalist

Jemimah Steinfeld, deputy editor of Index on Censorship magazine, writes in The Independent... Read more
Pic: Jeanne Menjoulet via Wikimedia

Donate to Index on Censorship today

The gift that keeps on giving (+15% off)

Take out a digital subscription to Index on Censorship magazine and we'll give you a Christmas present.Just apply the code XMAS19 and a one-year, four edition subscription is yours for £14.99 (normally £17.99).

You could also buy a framed artwork by Chinese illustrator Badiucao, and be extremely generous by sponsoring a seat in the name of a freedom of expression hero at the Index awards. Happy Christmas!

Index on Censorship defends people's freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution. We publish censored writers and artists, monitor and campaign against censorship, and encourage debate.

We rely on donations from readers and supporters. By donating to Index you help us to protect freedom of expression and to support those who are denied that right.