Is impartiality possible when it comes to free speech?

Free speech is increasingly a contested topic, and in this independent report Alex Fernandes looks at the different organisations – including Index on Censorship – which advocate for freedom of expression.

Fernandes has called his investigation The Impartiality Project and his stated goal is to “help free speech organisations in the UK and USA better understand the effects of ideological polarisation on censorship.”

During his research, which he carried out on a voluntary basis, Fernandes talked to a variety of organisations including English PEN, The Committee for Academic Freedom, the Free Speech Union in the UK, and FIRE in the USA.

He identified there were sharp differences between different organisations on issues “such as gender-critical views and trans rights, disruptive protest (pro Palestine, climate activism), DEI, offensive humour, and disinformation”. In some cases free speech organisations took polar opposite views.

Like all good freedom of expression advocates, Fernandes suggests it would be helpful for free speech organisations to work together – and argues there needs to be an “establishment of common ground” so they can advise policymakers.

You can download the report here or read it below.