Academics are reconsidering the meaning of free speech

A leading figure reassessing the freedom of speech is Oxford University professor Lani Watson, who last year published The Right to Know: Epistemic Rights and Why We Need Them. She argues that free speech is just one part of a broad human right to receive and transmit accurate information, as laid out in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas.” Imparting and receiving information are both crucial in making the decisions that affect our personal welfare. That means that as well as a right to free speech, we have a right not to be lied to, Watson argues. “We need to redefine the discourse around rights,” she says. “We need to expand it.”