IN THE FALL OF 2004, just weeks before the already hostile national elections, student leaders at Utah Valley State invited one of the most controversial figures in America, film maker Michael Moore, to one of the most conservative campuses in the country.
The invitation resulted in a firestorm of controversy and heated political debate. The story was soon picked up by the national media, including Time, the Washington Post, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among numerous other publications, and was declared one of Utah's Top Stories of the Year.
Written by the student primarily responsible for the decision, Free Speech 101 is the inside account of what happened--from the explosion when the news broke, to subsequent death threats, bribes, lawsuits, and pulled funds. The book provides fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts of meetings with college administrators, wealthy donors, state legislators, as well as the visits of Michael Moore and Sean Hannity.
In addition to narrating what happened, Vogel also plunges beneath the surface, exploring how the visits of Moore and Hannity to Utah became the catalyst for deeper issues, including the influence of power and money on a university, academic freedom and censorship, the polarized state of political discourse, the role of the media, and the often ambiguous intersection between politics and religion.
Alternately disturbing and inspiring, Free Speech 101 shows that the First Amendment isn't easy to uphold--particularly in more homogeneous communities--and it takes vigilance, courage and sacrifice to keep this freedom alive.
The invitation resulted in a firestorm of controversy and heated political debate. The story was soon picked up by the national media, including Time, the Washington Post, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among numerous other publications, and was declared one of Utah's Top Stories of the Year.
Written by the student primarily responsible for the decision, Free Speech 101 is the inside account of what happened--from the explosion when the news broke, to subsequent death threats, bribes, lawsuits, and pulled funds. The book provides fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts of meetings with college administrators, wealthy donors, state legislators, as well as the visits of Michael Moore and Sean Hannity.
In addition to narrating what happened, Vogel also plunges beneath the surface, exploring how the visits of Moore and Hannity to Utah became the catalyst for deeper issues, including the influence of power and money on a university, academic freedom and censorship, the polarized state of political discourse, the role of the media, and the often ambiguous intersection between politics and religion.
Alternately disturbing and inspiring, Free Speech 101 shows that the First Amendment isn't easy to uphold--particularly in more homogeneous communities--and it takes vigilance, courage and sacrifice to keep this freedom alive.
