Freedom of expression is vital to our ability to convey opinions, beliefs, and to meaningfully participate in democracy. Although the laws on freedom of expression have restrictions, it is often difficult to pinpoint exactly what is allowed or not. The aim of this study is to analyze cultural journalistic texts that deal with the Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy in order to gain a greater understanding of the possibilities, problems and limitations of freedom of expression. An argumentation analysis is applied based on the arguments John Durham Peters addresses in Courting the Abyss to see what arguments and positions can be identified and to see what issues the debate concentrates on. Some of the writers agree all opinions, no matter how grotesque they are, must be discussed while some take ethical and moral positions into account. Freedom of speech is a rational principle and the only way to preserve and promote rationality is to strive for virtue. The fear of censorship as a consequence suffocates the artistic expression and the public sphere poorer. The writers criticize institutes and the general public for not standing up for the principle and in some cases, criticize each other for hypocrisy and double standards.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:sh-48342 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Güler, Elif |
| Publisher | Södertörns högskola, Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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