First Amendment event criticized as being anti-free speech by law professor – Campus Reform

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills annual First Amendment Day came under fire as beinga condemnation event on the threat posed by free speech.

Jonathan Turley, Shapiro Chair of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, published anarticleabout the Sept. 21 event and equated it to a collection of vegans assembled to celebrate meat-based diets.

[RELATED: MIT moves to protect freedom of speech on campus, arguing it's essential for 'search for truth and justice']

The event was organized by theUNC Center for Media Law and Policyand featured a number of panels and debates on topics that included ethicalconflictswith the First Amendment, social mediaregulation, and how the First Amendment can be weaponized.

One event, titled Weaponizing First Amendment Rhetoric, asked shouldfree expression be what we value beyond everything else in public life, viz. progress, equality, and inclusion?.

From internet trolls to election disinformation, people weaponize free speech and First Amendment principles to do things like silence women and undermine the legitimacy of elections, the description stated.

[RELATED: Alabama Supreme Court hears case against university free speech policy]

Turley claimed the panel was clearly designed to offer the opposing view to traditional free speech and First Amendment values, but the lack of a dissenting voice allowed these views to go unchallenged.

Campus Reform contacted Jonathan Turley, University of North Carolina, and George Washington University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

Follow@emily_fowler18on Twitter.

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First Amendment event criticized as being anti-free speech by law professor - Campus Reform