• Interviewer: Jillian York Yazan Badran is an assistant professor in international media and communication studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a researcher at the Echo research group. • His research focuses on the intersection between media, journalism and politics particularly in the MENA region and within its exilic and diasporic communities. • *This interview has been edited for length and clarity. • Jillian York: What does free speech or free expression mean to you? • Yazan Badran: So I think there are a couple of layers to that question. • There’s a narrow conception of free speech that is related to, of course, your ability to think about the world.
Article Summaries:
- Summary
In the interview “Speaking Freely: Yazan Badran,” the assistant professor outlines a dual‑layered view of free speech. He argues that true freedom requires not only the resources to think and express ideas but also institutional and societal mechanisms that listen, validate, and engage with those expressions. Badran cites his early‑2000s involvement in a community dedicated to expanding expressive tools, the Arab uprisings, and his subsequent research on exiled journalists as key experiences shaping this perspective. He emphasizes that constraints always exist, but the nature of those constraints and the reciprocal responsibility between speakers and listeners are central to a comprehensive understanding of free expression.
Sources: