Speech, Media and Ethics: The Limits of Free Expression: Critical Studies on Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press and the Public's Right to Know [Hardcover]

Raphael Cohen-Almagor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0312236077 | ISBN-13: 978-0312236076

Speech, Media, and Ethics: The Limits of Free Expression is an interdisciplinary work that employs ethics, liberal philosophy, and legal and media studies to outline boundaries to freedom of expression and freedom of the press conducive to protecting basic human and civic rights. Moral principles are applied to analyze practical questions that deal with free expression and its limits.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Raphael Cohen-Almagor is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication at the University of Haifa in Israel.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (March 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312236077
• ISBN-13: 978-0312236076
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,653,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Biography
RAPHAEL COHEN-ALMAGOR

BA MA DPhil (Oxon); Educator and Researcher; Educ.: DPhil, Oxford University, UK, 1987-1991; MA Political Science, magna cum laude 1985-1987, Tel Aviv University, Israel; BA Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, magna cum laude 1983-1985, Tel Aviv University.

Academic Positions:
United Kingdom: Professor and Chair in Politics, Department of Politics and International Studies (2007 - ); Acting Deputy Dean for Research University of Hull (2008 - ).

Israel: Associate Professor (2002-2006), Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication (1995-2002) and Faculty of Law (1995-1999), University of Haifa; Adjunct Lecturer, Hebrew University Law Faculty (1992-1995).

USA: Fellow, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC (September 2007- July 2008); Visiting Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins School for Advanced Studies and Institute for Policy Studies (2003-2004); Visiting Professor, University of California Los Angeles School of Law and Department of Communication (1999-2000); Visiting Fellow, The Hastings Center, New York (January-February 1994 and March 1999).

The Netherlands: Visiting Scholar, Department of Metamedica, Faculty of Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (July-August 1999; April 2002).

Leadership:
Co-Founder, The Second Generation to the Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Organization in Israel (1982), Secretary General (1983-1985) and Chairperson (1985-1987) of this organization;
Founder and Director, Think-tank on Medical Ethics, The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute (1995-1998);
Chairperson, Library and Information Studies, University of Haifa (2000-2003);
Founder and Director, Center for Democratic Studies, University of Haifa (2003-2007).

Other Public Responsibilities:
Member, The Israel Press Council (1997-2000);
Member, The UNESCO International Clearinghouse on Children and Violence on the Screen (1998 - );
Member, International Standing Group on Extremism and Democracy (2001 - );
Member, Public Committee on the Dying Patient, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem (2000-2002) (appointed to draft Israel's Dying Patient Law);
Member, Association of Internet Researchers (2008 -);
Member, International Human Rights Tribunal (2009 - );
Advisory Board, Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), South Africa (2009 - ).

Personal Blog:
Israeli Politics, http://almagor.blogspot.com/

Other Organizations:
IPSA Study Group on Democratization in Comparative Perspective (1993 - ); The Israel Association for Canadian Studies (1995 - ); Human Rights International Research Committee (1998 - ); Think-tank on Social Justice and Health Rights, The Gertner Institute, Ministry of Health (1999 -); Bashaar - Academic Community for Israeli Society (2000 - ); American Biographical Institute Research Board of Advisors (2002 - ); Institute of Communication Ethics, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom (2005 - ); International Communication Association (2006-2009); Institute of Applied Ethics, University of Hull (2007 - ); Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (2008 - ); Israel Studies Association (2008 - ); Standing Group on International Political Theory (2008 - ); The Internet Society (2008 -).

Formerly Member of:
Israel Association of Political Science (1991-1996); The International Advisory Board, Center for Bioethics, University of Rijeka, Croatia (1994-1995); International Research Committee on Sociology of Law (1993-1999); Israeli Academic Forum for Ethics and Social Responsibility (1994-1999); The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (1992-2003); The Oxford Society (1995-2005); Israel Association of Communication (1995-2007); American Political Science Association (1999-2000); Association for Canadian Studies (2000-2002); International Political Science Association (2003-2004); National Communication Association (2003-2004); Review Committee of the Israel Council for Higher Education proposal to open a BA program at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya (2006-2009).

Hon/Fellow:
The 21st Century Trust (1994 - );
Man of the Year Award 2003, awarded by The American Biographical Institute (December 2003).

Editorial and Advisory Boards:
Editorial Board, Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics (2003 - );
Advisory Board, European Journal of Analytic Philosophy (2005 - );
International Editorial Board, Science and Engineering Ethics (2005 - ).

Books:
Author: Middle Eastern Shores (poetry, Hebrew, 1993); The Boundaries of Liberty and Tolerance (1994; Hebrew 1994, 2nd ed. 1999); Speech, Media and Ethics (2001, 2nd ed. 2005; Turkish 2003); The Right to Die with Dignity (2001); Euthanasia in the Netherlands (2004); The Scope of Tolerance (2006); The Democratic Catch (2007, Hebrew); Voyages (poetry, Hebrew, 2007).

Editor: Basic Issues in Israeli Democracy (Hebrew, 1999); Liberal Democracy and the Limits of Tolerance: Essays in Honor and Memory of Yitzhak Rabin (2000); Medical Ethics at the Dawn of the 21st Century (2000); Challenges to Democracy: Essays in Honour and Memory of Isaiah Berlin (2000); Moral Dilemmas in Medicine (Hebrew, 2002); Israeli Democracy at the Crossroads (2005); Israeli Institutions at the Crossroads (2005); Public Responsibility (with Asa Kasher and Ori Arbel-Ganz, in preparation, Hebrew).

Articles: Published numerous articles and book chapters in the fields of political science, law, Israeli Studies, philosophy, ethics (medical, media), education, sociology, and history in journals and books in the USA, Britain, Canada, Israel, France, Italy, Turkey, India, Germany, Formosa, Croatia and Argentina. Some of them were translated into other languages, including Spanish, French, Greek, Russian, and Romanian.

Grants, Fellowships and Scholarships:
Woodrow Wilson Senior Fellowship 2007-2008; Bogliasco Fellowship, Italy 2005; Senior Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies 2003-2004; The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 2002; Rockefeller Foundation, USA and Italy 2002; Fulbright-Yitzhak Rabin Senior Fellowship 1999-2000; Israel Association for Canadian Studies and The Canadian Government 1995, 1998, 2002; The Hastings Center, New York 1994, 1999; Israel Ministry of Science 1998; The 21st Century Trust, London 1994-1998; The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute 1991-1992, 1995-1998; Yigal Alon Scholarship 1995-1998; British Council 1997; University of Haifa 1996; Italian Foreign Office 1995; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1994; Volkswagen Education Foundation, Germany 1993-1994; Bar-Ilan University 1991-1992; The Rich Foundation, Paris 1991; The AVI (Rothschild) Fellowship, Geneva 1988-1990; Anglo-Jewish Association, London 1988-1990; St Catherine's College, Oxford 1987-1990; Tel Aviv University 1983-1987.

Entries in Books of Distinction:
- Entry in Outstanding People of the 20th Century, First Edition, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England (1999), p. 119.
- Who's Who in the World, 16th Edition, Marquis Who's Who (1999), p. 319; 19th Edition (2002), p. 403; 24th Edition (2006).
- Entry in Asia/Pacific Who's Who, Vol. IV, Rifacimento International, India (2002), p. 492; Vol. V (2005); Vol. VI (2006), pp. 218-219; Vol. VII (2007), pp.
- Entry in The International Directory of Distinguished Leadership, Vol. 11, American Biographical Institute (2003), p. 37.
- Entry in Asia - Men & Women of Achievement, Reguerdon and Co., India (2003), p. 68.
- Entry in Contemporary Who's Who, American Biographical Institute (2002-2003), p. 85; (2003-2004).
- Entry in Reference Asia: Asia's Who's Who of Men and Women of Achievement, Revised edition, Rifacimento International, India (2003).
- Entry in American Biography (2004).
- Entry in Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, 5th Edition, Marquis Who's Who (2004-2005).
- Entry in Biography Fame International, Special Issue, Vol. VII (2004).
- Entry in the Contemporary Who's Who of Professionals, American Biographical Institute (2004/2005).
- Entry in Asian/American Who's Who, Vol. IV, Rifacimento International, India (2005).
- Entry in Biography Today, Vol. III, Rifacimento International, India (2005).
- Entry in The Contemporary Who's Who of Professionals, American Biographical Institute (2005).
- Entry in Distinguished and Admirable Achievers, 2nd ed. 2005, South-Asia Intl. Publication Company (2006).
- Entry in Afro-Asian Who's Who, Vol. I, Rifacimento International, India (2006).

Avocations: politics, sports, theatre, classical music, cinema, stamps.

Office: Department of Politics and International Studies, The University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX United Kingdom. E-mail: [e-mail]

Further information:
http://www.hull.ac.uk/rca;
http://hcc.haifa.ac.il/~rca/
http://cds.haifa.ac.il/index.php

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A laymans perspective, July 20, 2001

By 

Miriam Shlesinger (Ramat Aviv, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speech, Media and Ethics: The Limits of Free Expression: Critical Studies on Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press and the Public's Right to Know (Hardcover)

Speech, Media and Ethics - the limits of free expression by Raphael Cohen-Almagor

Cohen-Almagor's analysis of the paradoxes and dilemmas surrounding freedom of speech in a democratic system first came to my attention in his The Boundaries of Tolerance: The Struggle Against Kahanism in Israel. To this layman, interested in gaining a better grasp of democracy, it was an eye-opener in its portrayal of the subtle constraints on the rights held to be sacrosanct. The present volume takes the theme further - focusing on the intrinsic tensions between the allowing the media as much freedom as possible, and the need for self-defence mechanisms to protect democracy. Its discussion of the Harm Principle (constraints which apply to threats of immediate violence) and the Offence Principle (which places psychological offence on a par, morally, with physical harm) leads to a provocative examination of the limits that may be imposed on free expression. A case in point: the Skokie affair, in which the Illinois Supreme Court decision is argued to be flawed.

Another central issue is the potential conflict between (what is perceived as) good journalism, on the one hand, and objective reporting, on the other - a particularly thought-provoking theme; thus, for example, the author advances the view that morally neutral coverage of hate rhetoric, racism, genocide and terrorism may be both false and untenable. The moral implications extend to other contexts as well; e.g. in arguing for extreme caution in media coverage of suicide, in general, and in the coverage of teen suicides and celebrity suicides (most likely to be imitated), in particular.

All in all, ethical constraints on the right to know are a recurrent theme in this volume, and one that cannot fail to engage the reader interested in ongoing ethical controversies related to the media. (Suffice it to mention the debate - pursued ad nauseam - surrounding coverage of Princess Diana, both in life and in death). While the code of ethics which obtains for the media may be fairly clear in theory, enforcement is no simple matter, nor are the press councils as powerful as one may think, especially when they are in fact run by the media themselves. Cohen-Almagor's recommendations - some of them very concrete ones - for better and more ethical media are as vital as they are (hopefully) practicable.

The Appendix - describing a telephone poll (in Israel) designed to evaluate public perceptions of media coverage - is revealing: one very troubling statistic was the relatively high proportion of those who supported imposing restrictions on freedom of speech and press. The potential threat of such a mindset to the workings of democracy should not be overlooked.

Clearly, ethical considerations must be an ever-present concern of the media - the publishers, concessionaires, editors and reporters - though, as the author reiterates, regulation and constraints should, wherever possible, be self-imposed, rather than the products of legislation. Speech, Media and Ethics is an immensely readable analysis of these consideration. It should be on the Recommended Reading lists of students (law, journalism, philosophy etc.), journalists - and of anyone interested in the subtle workings of the democratic system.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply a must for media scholars and professionals, March 20, 2001

By 

geoffrey marshall (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speech, Media and Ethics: The Limits of Free Expression: Critical Studies on Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press and the Public's Right to Know (Hardcover)

+AH4-The principle of free communication is probably the most complex and controversial of all constitutional guarantees. Traditionally it has been spoken of as the free speech principle. But that expression conceals the fact that the principle it enunciates is both narrower and wider than its language suggests. The principle does not protect many things that are in a literal sense speech. On the other hand it does protect many things that are not speech. Defamation, obscenity, and fraud may be+AH4-+AH4- perpetrated through speech acts but are unprotected. Marching, picketing, and voting are non-speech activities but the free speech guarantee may in certain circumstances protect them.

In 1994, in The Boundaries of Liberty and Tolerance, Raphael Cohen-Almagor published a pioneering study of the challenge to liberal principles of toleration posed by extremist political parties in Israel. In Speech, Media, and Ethics: The Limits of Free Expression, the examination of the limits of tolerance is+AH4-+AH4- extended to embrace the problem of maintaining a free press in the face of challenges from forces that if left unrestrained would destroy the institutions of a free society. This is the classic dilemma of liberal toleration. To the extent that liberal theory can distinguish between what John Stuart Mill - the Founding Father of free speech theory - called discussion and expressive activities that go beyond discussion the classic question whether we should tolerate the intolerant has a simple+AH4-+AH4- answer. The toleration of discussion or advocacy extends to the advocacy of violent or extremist policies since ex hypothesi it extends to the advocacy or discussion (if that is what it is) of anything. But the application of that principle and the analysis of what it is that carries communicative activities beyond advocacy are complex. It is also best explored, as here, in relation to concrete instances and experiences.

Of all the dilemmas in the operation of free governments, the dilemma+AH4-+AH4- of free discussion and the delimitation of press freedom are the most intractable. In these essays Raphael Cohen-Almagor tackles the dilemma at the points where its complexities are most apparent. Political theorists, politicians, and philosophical journalists (if such there be) will have good reason to ponder what he has to say.+AH4-