Freedom of expression means that
everyone has the right to express themselves freely. This right includes the
freedom to express oneself, as well as the freedom to receive and transmit
information and ideas without interference from the government and without
respect for national borders.
It is very complex right. For example
Gordon’s point of view about freedom of expression is that freedom of
expression should be protected even when exercised unethically. This is
one extreme, if suppressing freedom of expression is violation of human rights
then also exercising this right unethically is also a violation. For example in
France a cartoonist insulted the Holly Prophet PBUH and called it freedom of
expression, it was unethical act and this expression was very improper as
Muslims have deep respect and love for Prophet Muhammad PBUH and this
expression started riots increased hatted among people.
In 2003 BBC published a news that Iraq
has chemical weapons which made USA invade Iraq, killed thousands of people and
Iraq’s economy collapsed but after years it proved that BBC’s news was false
and not verified. BBC never apologized for this and that news and then reaction
of BBC is unethical and unlawful.
People should not be allowed to put
the blame for hunger on wheat dealers to an angry mob outside a wheat dealer’s
house. There are all too many instances of speech causing, or being part of the
cause of terrible events. The genocide in Rwanda was helped along by radio
broadcasts in which Tutsis were called ‘cockroaches’, who needed to be
‘exterminated’. In Holocaust (1941-1944) millions of Jews were killed by
Nazis and Adolf Hitler, now praising Nazism and Hitlor and calling it freedom
of expression would not seem ethical.
So, Gordon’s point of view that freedom
of expression is to be protected even when exercised unethically is wrong and
has no basis. Ethics have more value than right of knowledge or expressions.
Defaming someone only because you can is not right and unethical so freedom of
speech should be protected but in the limits of ethics, law and values.
Also read these
Social
Processes - Types of Social Process
Keywords: freedom of expression, Gordon’s point of view, ethics, media, freedom of speech, critical analysis,