Tuesday, September 7 | 6:00 PM | Kinoteka 1
Debate: Does good censorship exist? Following the screening of MEET THE CENSORS, dir. Havard Fossum.
In Polish
Partner: OKO.press
Censorship, information filtering, moderating the public debate… How do we set the boundaries of what may be shown or mentioned? This issue interests politicians and religious leaders in democratic and authoritarian countries alike. There is no country where freedom of expression is absolute, though different countries have different standards for the scope of restrictions and the ultimate goal. The goal itself has varying definitions as well: protecting citizens from hate speech, defamation, and slander; protecting the family and public morality; protection of religious feelings and banning blasphemy; safeguarding public safety and democracy against extremism… Who makes these decisions? Is the majority allowed to censor the minority? What does censorship look like in today’s Poland?
Guests:
Konrad Siemaszko — lawyer, freedom of the media coordinator in the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
Witold Mrozek — journalist, theater critic, opinion writer. Collaborates with OKO.press, Gazeta Wyborcza, and Dwutygodnik. The topics he covers include culture and censorship.
Anna Tarwacka — lawyer, associate professor at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University. Roman law specialist, author of As Far as the Bedroom... The Censor's Mark in Family Matters in Republican Rome.
Moderator:
Agata Szczęśniak — editor, opinion journalist, co-founder and longtime editor-in-chief of Krytyka Polityczna. Former employee of Gazeta Wyborcza.
