Columbia Public Library will host First Amendment event – Columbia Missourian

COLUMBIA In honor of the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the Columbia Public Library will host a panel discussion on Monday examining how the First Amendment applies to modern-day America.

The event, "Examining Free Speech in the Digital Era," will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday in the Friends Room of the library. The library partnered with the League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy to assemble a panel of scholars to talk at the event.

Panelists include Adam Seagrave, the Kinder Institute associate professor of constitutional democracy and associateprofessor of political science at MU; Nicholas Drummond, the Kinder postdoctoral fellow in political science and Jim Robertson, the managing editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Each of the panelists will speak briefly about a topic, and the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions, said Patricia Miller, adult services manager for the library.

"We try to use this as an opportunity to educate ourselves and educate everyone a little bit more about the Bill of Rights and what it says," Miller said. "This will be an opportunity to hear a little bit from the experts."

Seagrave will speak about how the meaning of "freedom of speech" has changed in a technologically-advanced nation, especially with social media usage. He will discuss how the principles outlined in the First Amendment apply today.

"In my opinion, quite a lot is the same, including much of what is most important, Seagrave said.

Drummond will explore how people decide what is truthful, according to a library flier about the event. People today are afraid to discuss topics they consider "too dangerous." Drummond will compare that to political philosopher John Stuart Mill's concept of openly sharing viewpoints to uncover the truth.

Robertson's will talk about journalism within the First Amendment, particularly the day-to-day challenges journalists face and how they can help to separate truth from disinformation.

The panel discussion will complement the librarys 225th anniversary display on the clay brick wall of the librarys first floor. The Columbia Public Library was one of 15 libraries selected by the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Archives to host this exhibit, which will continue until Feb. 28.

In addition to the exhibit, the library has had a childrens book display with materials pertaining to the Bill of Rights, and will be putting up a second display on the librarys second floor, Miller said.

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Columbia Public Library will host First Amendment event - Columbia Missourian