Without Free Speech, Democracy Dies

Democracy is hanging precariously in a world tilted upside down in the face of today’s endless crises. Our rights and freedoms are dwindling. Free speech, an essential precursor to all human rights, is faltering.

Less than 4% of the world’s citizens enjoy a wide range of civic freedoms, and nearly three-quarters live in countries with little. With 1,100 violations and 45% of all violations, freedom of expression topped the CIVICUS Monitor list of global attacks on rights.

States that once set an example as bastions of free speech are also faltering.

United States ‘Leads’ Western Democracies’ Backslide

United States first amendment to the Constitution once stood out as a north star for freedom of expression. Creative freedom, critical journalism, dissent, and mockery of leaders were all a go.

When attacks against journalists and activists took place around the world, the US and Western democracies stood up. They helped protect journalists, activists, and groups persecuted by strongmen leaders.

But today, that legacy is fading. Freedom of expression and free press are struggling in the West. Political commitment to defend free speech both at home and abroad is waning.

The current administration has hurt free expression and journalism more than any modern American government.

Leaders and influencers from the left and right distorted public narratives to win elections or push through their agenda. Big tech, media, and corporations too have played similar games to build traction and profit.

Leading up to last election, US President Donald Trump and allies cried foul at the left’s attacks at free speech. Democrats’ use of the Espionage Act on whistleblowers and influencing of tech and media to promote narrative compliance and political correctness were called out, albeit exaggerated.

Despite that rhetoric, the current administration has hurt free expression and journalism more than any modern American government.

The president himself has sued major media outlets that criticized him. Two outlets, ABC and CBS, settled, putting profits ahead of defending truth and integrity. Days after comedian Stephen Colbert called the settlement “a big fat bribe,” CBS announced cancellation of the "Late Show," the most popular nightly show in the US.

The list of recent attacks is worryingly long. The Federal Communications Commission threatened broadcast licenses. The White House banned journalists and cut funds to public service broadcasters. A bill to protect journalists from state surveillance stalled, and the executive blacklisted law firms defending critics.

While the US’ butchering of free speech stands out, it’s not alone. The United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Spain, and other Western democracies are seeing free expression dwindling, though at a slower pace.

The hits come diguised as national security, surveillance, anti-extremism and hate speech, anti-defamation, and protest restrictions. These are the same excuses used in countries with fewer civic freedoms. It is the playbook of extreme authoritarian states China, Iran, Afghanistan, and Russia.

Global Failure to Protect Free Speech

The world is failing miserably at protecting free speech. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe journalists have faced bloody clampdowns or arrests in attempts to expose the truth. Two hundred journalists have been reportedly killed in Gaza. That the international community took no action shows its gross incompetence or a complete lack of will.

Many governments around the world use censorship to silence truth, block criticism, and deny access to information. Public information and narratives are also perverted by political, business, military, or other interests.

Where there is a lack of transparency of ownership and capture, vested influence stalls open and democratic public conversation. This is particularly the case where civic and democratic freedoms are limited.

Authoritarian regimes like China and Russia continue to use technology, social media, and artificial intelligence to destabilize global democracies. As we speak, the Kremlin is flooding social media with false information and using artificial intelligence tools to influence Moldova’s elections. China has used similar tactics to create anti-democratic narratives in Taiwan.

Effective counter measures seem non-existent on a global scale today. When and where they existed, countering disinformation and fact-checking efforts often were flawed or exclusive. Even the sincere efforts have been seen as partisan by masses owing to more visible and large-scale efforts excluding voices that didn’t fit convenient political and profit motivations.

Only Citizen Demand Can Save Free Speech

Given failures to defend free speech and acceleration attacks, a silver lining seems illusive. While governments, global organizations, and civil society have proposed plenty of solutions, they often end up as mere rhetoric or at best half-baked projects.

Promoting constitutional freedoms, free speech laws, media transparency, journalistic independence, platform accountability, and such only ever get discussed in technocratic forums. In action, they reach only select groups of society, without ever being inclusive.

Bold action is needed but by movements of citizens. We must start by exercising our free speech to demand the same rights and protections be afforded to all. People’s power standing up and demanding change may just tilt the needle beyond rhetoric. Citizens can force significant action by governments, media houses, or tech platforms.

To avoid past failures, we must remember freedom of expression is for everyone, including those who we disagree with. Pope Leo XIV’s wisdom comes handy here, “We have to know how to listen—not to judge, not to shut doors as if we hold all the truth and no one else has anything to offer.”