Benjamin Franklin Quotes

You know, everybody believes in free speech until you start questioning them about it.

In America we don’t apologize for opinions, that’s why we have a 1st Amendment. If we can’t discuss even controversial opinions in the pages of our newspapers, where are we going to do it?

Everyone champions freedom of expression in the abstract but few can resist calling for censorship when they do not like what is being expressed.

… most censorship took place in the heads of writers, and what the writers failed to cut usually got filtered out by editors in publishing houses.

Our schools too often want to shut people up so they can't talk about real solutions. People who think differently tend to clam up because they think something is wrong with their ideas.

If it were not for the fact that editors have become so timorous in these politically correct times, I would probably have a greater readership than I have.

Well, there are certain words and emotions I don't want kids hearing, and I'm not changing because they think it's going to sell better. This is going to sound horrible, but I got 12 million votes doing what I did.

I will never be a fan of any kind of political correctness: I think it's instant death to creativity.

It is the responsibility of journalists to be ethical. Religion is a very sensitive issue, and I think no truly professional cartoonist in the world would ever try to pick on a religion like this. There’s an informal code of ethics among cartoonists in the media, and it includes two kinds of censorship: one is self-censorship; the other is professional censorship. Religion is one of the very important things that we should respect and not criticize …. We cannot tolerate any disparagement of the Prophet.

The newspapers, magazines and other journals of the country, it is safe to say, have shed and continue to shed, more light on the public and business affairs of, the nation than any other instrumentality of public; and since informed public opinion is the most potent of all restraints upon misgovernment, the suppression or abridgment of the publicity afforded by a free press cannot be regarded otherwise than with grave concern.

Freedom of the press, printing, publication and mass media shall be guaranteed. Censorship on newspapers is forbidden as well as notifying, suspending or cancelling them by administrative methods. In a state of emergency or in time of war a limited censorship may be imposed on the newspapers, publications and mass media in matters related to public safety or purposes of national security in accordance with the law.

Once you “volunteer” and engage in self-censorship something happens to your conscience.

For thirty years the press has ceased to exist in Turkey. There are indeed newspapers, many of them even, but the scissors of censorship cut them in so emasculating a manner that they no longer have any potency. If I dare, I would call them gelded newspapers or rather, to keep the local color, eunuchs.

In the long, fierce struggle for freedom of opinion, the press, like the church, counted its martyrs by thousands..

Flag-burning is plain wrong, and I'll stand up for free speech - even speech I don't like.

Once you get used to censorship, sometimes you self-censor.

Those who want to be offended don't have the right to try and close down the newspaper that offends them.

People call me for interviews on censorship type topics all the time, like that Gannette interview.I don't hold myself out to be an authority on it, but the reason they call me is that they know that I'll at least open my mouth, and give an opinion, whereas other people will play it safe, and won't say anything, because they don't want to offend anybody.

I think what we have in this country is a little more dangerous in a way because it can't be seen fully. It's sorta internal censorship. We censor each other.

Political correctness kills discussion.

Everybody favours free speech in the slack moments when no axes are being ground.

I mean, they censor your work when they're scared of it.

I don't believe in this idea of, 'That's hate speech, stop it.'

Censorship always defeats it own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion.

I always think the true test of free speech is when someone says something you don't like.