In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

University investigates hate website

(CBC) The University of New Brunswick is investigating a claim that a law student at the university has been publishing hate literature online. Shane Martinez, a UNB student, filed a complaint with the university in March after he found another student’s website that called for the genocide of people with mental disabilities. The website also incited hatred toward gay people, women and certain minority groups. University officials have formed a panel to investigate the allegations, and panel members are expected to make recommendations in November as to what action should be taken. No disciplinary actions have been enforced against the accused student.

1.

Responding to Bigotry and Intergroup Strife on Campus

Anti-Defamation League
This is a guide directed toward college and university administrators offering suggestions to prevent hate crimes and conflict. It promotes awareness throughout campuses of racial issues and diversity, and suggests that dialogue is crucial for administrators, faculty and students of any facility.  The guide is published by the Anti-Defamation League, a group with goals of fighting all forms of bigotry, while defending democratic ideals.

2.

Online Hate: An Introduction

Media Awareness Network
This site provides a lot of useful information about balancing hateful material with free speech on the Internet. There are several links from this main heading, including Online Hate and Free Speech, an article that examines the thin line that may exist between hateful material on the Internet, and the right to free speech. Another interesting article is Responding to Online Hate, which offers suggestions to deal with hate websites that users may encounter. These suggestions include contacting an Internet Service Provider, reporting online hate to police or filing a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

3.

Hate Speech on the Internet and the Law

Anti-Defamation League
This is a transcript of a speech that was delivered by Christopher Wolf, the Chair of the Anti-Defamation League Internet Task Force at the Third Annual Symposium on Hate on the Internet. He suggests a collaboration of companies and services that provide online content to regulate it, rather than to necessarily introduce laws that limit speech. He points out the ineffectiveness of laws in controlling the mass space that is the Internet, and even as an Internet lawyer, does not necessarily support them.

4.

Universities struggle with free speech, hate speech

Freedom Forum
This article examines the difficulty that universities may encounter when tackling incidents that may be seen as offensive hate crimes as some, but are viewed as the right to free speech by others. Many universities allow actions that do not involve violence to slide, arguing that it is not within their jurisdiction to police students who are not committing a crime or violation of university policy. The article points out that defining the difference between what is acceptable and what is offensive may be subjective and difficult to determine.

5.

Hate Speech Online: Restricted or Protected?

Law Department at Florida State University
This article looks at the different viewpoints taken by the U.S. and Germany when it comes to regulating hate speech on the Internet. America often allows hate speech to be published because it falls within the constitutional right to free speech, while the German government tends to be more concerned with regulating hate sites that are produced by German citizens. The different approaches taken by different countries can be controversial and brings into question who, if anyone should be regulated what appears on the Internet.