Source Analysis: The Threat To Free Speech At Universities

Superior Essays
Kyle Nardine
Professor Woodworth
English Composition 102
9/30/14

Source Analysis of The Threat To Free Speech at Universities One of the aspects that separate my generation from those in the past is that anyone with a computer can be a journalist and provide news. People still have access to news outlets such as MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN, but also a person can get news from their conspiracy theorist friend on Facebook. With a smorgasbord of choices, people need to be aware of three categories when reading an article. The article needs to be authoritative, reliable, and relevant. Being authoritative means that the author has years of training, or schooling in a specific subject. Being reliable means that the author has included all the
…show more content…
The author, Greg Lukianoff, is more than qualified to talk about both those subjects. Lukianoff earned degrees from American University and Stanford Law School(88). By going to these two prestigious universities, Lukianoff has the trust of his audience to talk about the happenings in a university. Also, Lukianoff is an attorney and he is the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education(88). Lukianoff also writes for the Huffington Post and has written several articles about Free Speech and has appeared on CNN, CBS News, and Fox News to discuss free speech (Foundation For the Individual Rights in Education). Having credentials such as intensive schooling, job experience, and appearing on network news to discuss your viewpoints make Greg Lukianoff an authoritative figure on free speech in …show more content…
Lukianoff stays on the topic of free speech in college for the duration of the article. Even though the examples he gave for harassment are around eight years old the examples are still relevant today. He mentioned how a student at Tufts University wrote an unflattering article about Islamic extremism; that example is still relevant in 2014 due to ISIS. The UCF example is about a writer calling a potential student government official a “jerk and a fool” (88). Both examples tie into the discussion because they represent opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of free speech. Lukianoff did a good job of having the article be relevant with his examples. In order to have an effective article, it must be authoritative, reliable, and relevant. Greg Lukianoff has the degrees and job experience as an attorney to be an authoritative source on the subject of free speech. On the other hand, his argument about free speech is too one sided and, therefore, is not reliable. However, he provides relevant examples about free speech crimes in colleges across the United

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    So any person can go out and say what they like but they won't get punished by the law cause of what they said because it's their freedom of speech . The only consequence that person going to get is criticism and hate . Rowland points out that if students get an successful college education where they can well better explain freedom of speech . They could change bad opinions into good ones.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the article titled, “Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought,” Jonathan Rauch concludes that hate speech should not be censored on campus. Rauch believes that students have a right to academic freedom. He believes that students will not feel free to explore or question topics that may be taboo, if they are fearful of reprimand, limiting their ability to learn about the world during a crucial time in their education. First Rauch argues that gaining knowledge is painful and Knowledge cannot be separated from pain, even the most “scientific” criticism can be painful. For example, Physicist Ludwig Boltzmann committed suicide following criticism of his ideas.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the Santa Rosa Junior College, the Daily Illini newspaper, and in the Harvard English Department case the same thing happened, they were criticized and called out for there comments. Even though, they tried getting away by saying that the First Amendment defends…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Having Free Speech is the basic right that Americans have, it is the ability to speaks one’s mind and ideas. Theres are many benefits to having the ability to project ideas without censorship. Caleb Yong author of “Does Freedom of Speech Include Hate Speech?” argues that the liberal justice has a special protection against the restriction of speech and expression, he calls it “Free Speech Principle” where it includes its “sensitivity to the distinction between coverage and protection (Yong)” that the speech should be monitored. Hate speech is too broad to single out the negative effect that it can have in any group. The main concept of this article includes the four categories that hate speech can be set in.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The freedom to speech is very important to many Americans. However, many wonder if some speech should be prohibited especially while online. This is because it is harming, slandering, or hateful. The best way to evaluate this issue is through Deontology. This is because every American has a right to free speech, according to the constitution, they also have duties and consequences that come with being able to say whatever they want.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Trigger warnings on college campuses, as a means to warn students of course material that may be offensive or disturbing to them, should not be allowed because it does not allow professional, intellectual academic discourse to occur. College professors are staring to second think on what course material to teach, because many students become offended with what comes out of the professor’s mouth, this also applies to comedians that would perform, but now they can’t because of the immaturity of students. Macroaggressions are the leading cause for the existence of trigger warnings. Macroaggressions are words or actions done by someone with no intent of harming someone, yet people take it the wrong way and think of it as a kind of violence.…

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    DelFattore’s statements towards using free speech in higher education can be used to show the purpose of using free speech at universities. The statements from other professors that DelFattore provides in her book can be used in showing the opinions of professors from various universities. Mangalino, Marv Alwyn. Personal interview. 07 Apr. 2016.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Freedom of speech is a privilege all Americans share. A person can state whatever they please, so long as it doesn’t cause a clear and present danger, without government interference. The idea that someone can legally think, be, and say whatever they want is what lead millions of immigrants to form the U.S. back in 1776 and is the same reason people fight for their right to live here today. Thanks to information being so accessible in this digital age, individuals are told that they are allowed and to study and form an educated opinion. This comes with one catch.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lukianoff and Haidt clearly demonstrate the absurdity of a system in which a teacher cannot make jest to lighten the mood of the class. They emphasis the importance of acknowledging different opinions when saying “[i]f students graduate believing that they can learn nothing from people they dislike or from those with whom they disagree, we will have done them great intellectual disservice” (LG 10). Our youth should be taught there is value in the opinion of others and differences should be respected and…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The article, "There's no hate speech exception to the First Amendment", was written in 2017 by Joan Vennochi, an American newspaper columnist for the Boston Globe. The newspaper article was published in the Boston Globe, a leading American daily newspaper. In this article, Vennochi defends the idea that the First Amendment protects even the speech we hate to hear. The author establishes her authority to speak on this subject by previously working as a City Hall bureau chief, and also as a State House bureau chief. The intended audience of this article is primarily the middle-aged generations who are specifically more involved in politics due to the fact that the Boston Globe caters to this group of people, Law professors, and Law students.…

    • 308 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Atlantic Magazine, an article entitled, “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt addressed and issue occurring on college campuses. That issue is trigger warnings and its impact on the academe. This study asks a question: Are trigger warnings impacting the academic freedom of faculty? The University of Chicago is one of many institutions willing to take on the issue, establishing a position in support of its facility and academic freedom.…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Richard Delgado is a professor at University of Alabama with expertise in the following civil rights, constitutional law, and critical race theory. He is an author with many journals articles and books written. Richard Delgado wrote an article called Hate Cannot Be Tolerated. In this article he speaks about the limits on offensive forms of speech and is they reasonable. On campus he has seen graffiti and fliers giving to Jewish and Black students at the law school telling them they don’t belong on campus.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The topic of free speech on college campuses currently has been a huge hot button issue in the media, especially in the United States. The controversy this topic brings is deeply rooted in the history of not only higher education, but in the history of the development of this country. Often people are all for freedom of speech, until someone speaks out against them (as a person) or one of their core beliefs. In an effort to give full disclosure here, I believe that I should state that directly after I completed my undergraduate degree I did apply and got into Law School. While I decided not to attend Law School, I do believe that the courses I took on Pre-Law and Constitutional Law had a profound impact on my beliefs.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The right to free speech has always been a fundamental right to every American citizen. It provides people with the opportunity to express their own ideas, thoughts, and speak their mind about matters at large. Throughout history, the rights to freedom of speech has been questioned and or exploited in many different ways and as a direct cause many organization and groups of people have taken the chance to inquire about the limits provided by this right. The organizations consist of mostly colleges and universities. Free speech on campus is one of the major issues concerning students and faculties due to the regards that it stands on a controversial platform and most individuals are unclear on the extent of power to which an individual can exert this right.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Research of “Censorship: Should Language be censored?” Censorship in America is an ongoing debate in today’s society. Many argue there is too much taking place, while others argue we don’t do enough to control it. In this essay we will examine censorship from four different perspectives.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays