Most Americans take free speech for granted. In her new book, “Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan,” legal historian Samantha Barbas illustrates precisely why we shouldn’t. In this episode of Driven to Discover, host Laura Silverman talks to Barbas, a professor of law at the University at Buffalo and an expert in the intersections of law, culture and the media, about the landmark 1964 case that liberated the press and transformed free speech in America. Barbas paints a compelling portrait of how dire things had become for journalists (and, relatedly, the Civil Rights Movement) before Sullivan, and predicts a similarly dire future for the media and even for everyday citizens speaking their minds on social media if the decision were ever to be reversed—a not inconceivable outcome with our current Supreme Court.

Credits: 
Host: Laura Silverman
Guest: Samantha Barbas
Writer: Laura Silverman
Production and editing by UB Video Production Group 

Coming Nov. 4: An AI pioneer who blends scientific expertise with a love of language, Rohini Srihari is the ideal person to reimagine chatbots. In the next episode, she shares with host Cory Nealon how she’s developing conversational AI that's more empathetic and purposeful, to be used in mental health care and to help people with motor neuron diseases like ALS.