Journal article

Freedom of speech is not freedom from ethics: the 2019 Israel Folau media controversy as a case study

Jay Daniel Thompson, Denis Muller

MEDIA INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA | SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD | Published : 2021

DOI: 10.1177/1329878X21992890

Abstract

This article examines how freedom of speech is framed in the media controversy surrounding the Australian rugby player Israel Folau’s April 2019 Instagram post. A content analysis and framing analysis of newspaper reportage reveals that the controversy has been largely discussed in terms of whether or not Folau’s speech was being curtailed and whether this curtailing indicates a broader, ideologically motivated censoriousness. This discussion is problematic in that it says little about the actual substance of Folau’s post. This article argues that debates surrounding freedom of speech such as the one involving Folau could and should be enriched by an engagement with ethical principles. This ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Keywords

Framing
Social Sciences
Media Controversy
Ethics
Communication
Freedom of Speech
Journalism