Speech That Hurts and the First Amendment

Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/23/2014
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm

A D.J. plays what some consider a “rape anthem” in a Franklin Street Bar, anti-abortion protestors display large photos of aborted fetuses in front of Wilson Library and the Twittersphere is filled with racist tirades after the shooting of a young black man in Ferguson, Mo. Is all this speech protected by the First Amendment? Is there any remedy for those who are harmed by speech like this? What do Carolina students think? Come join the discussion.

These are the panelists:

• Wilson Hood, a senior political science and sociology double major with a minor in women’s and gender studies. He also is managing editor of The Siren, a feminist magazine on campus, and co-director of Carolina United, a week-long summer retreat program for UNC students focused on leadership, diversity and social justice.
• Trevor Dougherty, a Carolina student activist, international DJ/musician, and longtime independent journalist with major networks including VICE, CNN and the Washington Post. You can hear his music on SoundCloud.
• Destiny Planter, vice president of the UNC Black Student Movement.  She is a political science and English major.
• Hugh Stevens, a First Amendment attorney with the Raleigh firm of Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych. A former co-editor of The Daily Tar Heel, he has represented numerous media outlets in the state, including The News & Observer and WRAL-TV in Raleigh. He also litigated – and won – the most important privacy law cases in our state’s history.
• Louisa Clark (moderator), a senior political science and journalism double major with a specialization in editing and graphic design  She is currently working on a senior honors thesis in media law.