FREE SPEECH TAKES CENTER STAGE IN BERKELEY TALKS AND BERKELEY LAW EPISODES

The latest news release from Berkeley News features a summary of a Berkeley Talks podcast that covers free speech in academic institutions. Oft cited as the birth of the free speech movement, UC Berkeley professors are urging students and student organizations to be open-minded about differing points of view so that the campus can be a safe place for tolerating open discussion about ideas and current events.

This discussion is also part of the Berkeley Law Conversations series. Watch a video of the conversation and learn more about the speakers on Berkeley Law's website.

"Issues of free speech on campus have been there as long as there have been universities," began Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky at a UC Berkeley event on Jan. 10. "There's no doubt that since Oct. 7, universities across the country, including here at Berkeley, face enormously difficult issues with regard to freedom of speech."

"Especially in these times where, and especially with this (Israel-Hamas) war, where people are feeling so hurt by words, and arguing that words or phrases mean you're antisemitic or Islamophobic, it's really challenging," said Berkeley Journalism Dean Geeta Anand. "The temptation when people are so hurt and in so much pain is to run from it. But in fact, I think we should do the exact opposite. … At times, those are the moments where people will actually want to learn, and need to learn, and listen.”