Julia Powles writes:
Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, has a particular cultural and economic perspective on free speech – reflected in comments made both by him and by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Free speech is undoubtedly a cornerstone of freedom, but it cannot always be fought or guarded in the court of public opinion; the free market of ideas.
To Wales, bad speech is defeated by more speech. Such a solution does not guarantee a defence to the weak and the marginalised. Here, in particular, the human rights that benefit all of us serve a fundamental purpose.
In the UK – where a serious legal commitment to human rights is wavering– we cannot afford to be loose with terminology. Wales refers, inaccurately, to “history as a human right”, to “the right to remember”, to “the right to truth”.
Read more on The Guardian.