Free Speech & Peace

Higher education provides college students an opportunity to refine the skills necessary for tackling competing and challenging views as well as discovering how to collaborate with those they disagree with. In the wake of seven states enacting policy to clear the way for students and scholars fostering such an open, intellectual environment, Stand Together Trust Senior Fellow Casey Mattox issued the following statement.

The Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism excellence, and Stand Together Trust announced the kick-off of the Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism Fellowship.

Senior fellow at Stand Together Trust, Casey Mattox, addresses potential pitfalls in the implementation of the White House's new executive order.

Given the timeless importance of protecting civil liberties, Stand Together Trust today joins the ACLU in voicing concern about a proposed National Park Service (NPS) rule that could hinder free speech and peaceful assembly around DC landmarks.

Given the timeless importance of protecting civil liberties, Stand Together Trust today joins the ACLU in voicing concern about a proposed National Park Service (NPS) rule that could hinder free speech and peaceful assembly around DC landmarks. “Social progress occurs when diverse people can come together and speak out for the beliefs they’re passionate about,” […]

The White House released an executive order regarding free speech on college and university campuses today. In related document published this morning, the President suggests the urge to silence differing views is a characteristic unique to one ideology. Stand Together Trust issued the following statement: “For continued progress to be possible, we must have a […]

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s free speech jurisprudence. On March 4, 1919, the Court issued a decision in Schenck v. United States, and in the intervening years, it has repeated and clarified its defense of free expression. Many of those decisions remain highly relevant to today’s controversies—from the 1943 decision in […]

In 1916, legendary silent film director D.W. Griffith produced Intolerance. The epic movie focused on four stories of persecution, from the crucifixion of Christ to the fall of ancient Babylon. The subject matter sounds noble—and the film has moments of great sensitivity, such as the portrayal of persecuted French Huguenots on the eve of the […]

A recent survey from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press revealed that despite declining trust in media, “nearly all voters (95 percent) agree on the importance of having a free press.” For a free press to continue to flourish in the United States, journalists and news outlets must be free from intimidation. Today the […]

Civil discourse is in short supply in our public life. On this there seems agreement be it from Senator Orrin Hatch or former first lady Michelle Obama. But what exactly is civil discourse, and the related concept of civility, and why is civil discourse important? These two questions must be answered before we can determine […]