Rutherford County, TN - Commentary: Free speech is often a topic of debate. But what is free speech and what is the difference between the freedom to speak freely without hecklers disrupting your free speech by overtalking, yelling or shouting? Are those hecklers limiting your freedom and vetoing your speech? Or, are the hecklers or protestors overpowering your freedom to speak freely? Or, are they just exercising their right? With more on this interesting subject, here is MTSU Professor of Journalism Larry Burriss…
Verbatim: A recent flurry of campus free speech incidents has highlighted the conflict between those who advocate different versions of what free speech means. On the one hand, are those who sponsor events addressing controversial issues in our society. On the other hand, are those who want to disrupt and censor such events by claiming their disturbances are also free speech and thus protected.About Dr. Burriss - Larry Burriss, professor of journalism, teaches introductory and media law courses. At the graduate level he teaches quantitative research methods and media law. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University (B.A. in broadcast journalism, M.A. in journalism), the University of Oklahoma (M.A. in human relations), Ohio University (Ph.D. in journalism) and Concord Law School (J.D.). He has worked in print and broadcast news and public relations, and has published extensively in both academic and popular publications. He has won first place in the Tennessee Associated Press Radio Contest nine times. Dr. Burriss' publications and presentations include studies of presidential press conferences, NASA photography, radio news, legal issues related to adolescent use of social networking sites, legal research, and Middle Earth.
Dr. Burriss has served as director of the School of Journalism, dean of the College of Mass Communication and president of the MTSU Faculty Senate. He was appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen to serve on the Tennessee Board of Regents. He was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and served on active duty in Mali, Somalia, Bosnia, Central America, Europe and the Pentagon.
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