Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are being fought for day after day& even in Germany, where they are enshrined in the country=s constitution. What is it permissible to say? How far does freedom of speech go? Where does tolerance end? These questions have to be answered again and again. Even in democratic systems, freedom of expression is under threat. Political populism and coarsened communication on the Internet are putting this fundamental right to the test. Right-wing extremists are presenting themselves as the victims of an alleged dictatorship of opinion, and hate comments are destroying the culture of debate and provoking new legislation which, in the worst case, may in turn further undermine freedom of expression. Experts from various disciplines here describe the scale of the problem and the challenges facing freedom of expression, in a readily understandable way. The result is a multifaceted presentation of one of the major issues of our time.

Prof. Tanjev Schultz teaches and carries out research at the Institute for Journalism at the University of Mainz.