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This book traces the life of free speech in Russia from the final years of the Soviet Union to the present. It shows how long-cherished hopes for an open society in which people would speak freely and tell truth to power fared under Gorbachev's glasnost; how free speech was a real, if fractured, achievement of Yeltsin's years in power; and how easy it was for Putin to reverse these newly won freedoms, imposing a 'patrimonial' media that sits comfortably with old autocratic and feudal traditions. The book explores why this turn seemed so inexorable and now seems so entrenched. It examines the historical legacy, and Russia's culturally ambivalent perception of freedom, which Dostoyevsky called that 'terrible gift'. It evaluates the allure of western consumerism and Soviet-era illusions that stunted the initial promise of freedom and democracy. The behaviour of journalists and their apparent complicity in the distortion of their profession come under scrutiny. This ambitious study covering more than 30 years of radical change looks at responses 'from above' and 'from below', and asks whether the players truly understood what was involved in the practice of free speech.
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When the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten (Viby, Denmark) published the cartoons of the prophet Mohammad in 2005, Denmark found itself at the center of a global battle about the freedom of speech. The paper's culture editor, Flemming Rose, defended the decision to print the 12 drawings, and he quickly came to play a central part in the debate about the limitations to freedom of speech in the 21st century. Since then, Rose has visited universities and think tanks and participated in conferences and debates around the globe in order to discuss tolerance and freedom. Rose writes about the people and experiences that have influenced the way he views the world and his understanding of the crisis, including meetings with dissidents from the former Soviet Union and ex-Muslims living in Europe. He provides a personal account of an event that has shaped the debate about what it means to be a citizen in a democracy and how to coexist in a world that is increasingly multicultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic.
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The Internet was supposed to be an antidote to authoritarianism. It can enable citizens to express themselves freely and organize outside state control. Yet while online activity has helped challenge authoritarian rule in some cases, other regimes have endured : no movement comparable to the Arab Spring has arisen in China. The author offers here a powerful counterintuitive explanation for the survival of the world's largest authoritarian regime in the digital age. He reveals the complex internal dynamics of online expression in China, showing how the state, service providers, and netizens negotiate the limits of discourse. He finds that state censorship has conditioned online expression, yet has failed to bring it under control. However, the author also finds that freeer expression may work to the advantage of the regime because its critics are not the only ones empowered : the Internet has proved less threatening than expected due to the multiplicity of beliefs, identities, and values online. State-sponsored and spontaneous pro-government commenters have turned out to be a major presence on the Chinese internet, denigrating dissenters and barraging oppositional voices. The author explores the recruitment, training, and behavior of hired commenters, the 'fifty-cent army', as well as group identity formation among nationalistic Internet posters who see themselves as patriots defending China against online saboteurs. Drawing on a rich set of data collected through interviews, participant observation, and long-term online ethnography, as well as official reports and state directives, this book interrogates our assumptions about authoritarian resilience and the democratizing power of the Internet.
Internet --- Freedom of speech --- Censorship --- Authoritarianism --- Book censorship --- Books --- Literature --- Free speech --- Liberty of speech --- Speech, Freedom of --- DARPA Internet --- Internet (Computer network) --- Government policy --- Political aspects --- Law and legislation --- S06/0438 --- S11/1600 --- China: Politics and government--Policy towards press, Internet --- China: Social sciences--Internet --- INTERNET--GOVERNMENT POLICY--CHINA --- INTERNET--POLITICAL ASPECTS--CHINA --- AUTHORITARIANISM--CHINA --- Political science --- Authority --- Literature and morals --- Anticensorship activists --- Challenged books --- Expurgated books --- Intellectual freedom --- Prohibited books --- Civil rights --- Freedom of expression --- Assembly, Right of --- Freedom of information --- Wide area networks (Computer networks) --- World Wide Web
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