Freedom of expression, the cornerstone of a democratic society, is under attack in Canada, the United States and internationally. Anti-terrorism legislation and police crackdowns on dissent and protest are undermining civil liberties. Media conglomerates are eroding journalistic independence, and corporate donors are challenging academic freedom.
In this book respected contributors from Canada, the United States and Europe share their experiences with the suppression of non-conforming views and analysis. They examine the many issues associated with the increasing restrictions on free speech in the media and the academic world. They discuss and give examples of the effects of new corporate management practices, the suppression of dissent in the name of fighting terrorism, and the shrinking commitment to a diversity of voices. They discuss what needs to be done to reclaim the integrity and independence essential for media and universities in a democratic society.
Among the contributors: David Healy, Director, North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales and author of Let Them Eat Prozac; Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, which represents more than 400,000 journalists in over 94 countries; and Jon Thompson, Chair of the Olivieri Committee of Inquiry, University of New Brunswick.

William Bruneau began his post-secondary education in Saskatoon at the University of Saskatchewan, taking degrees in history and in education. He completed his doctorate at the University of Toronto, spending years in Paris and Oxford. He was a member of faculty at UBC from 1971 to 2003. He has lately been a member of the regional council of the Canadian Music Centre, and as a pianist, has been a vigorous proponent and performer of chamber music. When the opportunity arose to write a biography of Jean Coulthard, it was impossible to resist. The project was a collaboration with David Gordon Duke—an accomplished musicologist and composer. Combining history, music, and biography, Bill found the work on Coulthard allowed him to indulge his enthusiasms, and led to the creation of a permanent reminder of Coulthard's person and work. In 2005, he accepted a contract to edit and write a volume in the Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell. That project, in collaboration with McMaster historian Stephen Heathorn, is to be published in 2011.

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JAMES TURK is Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). Formerly an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and Director of Education for the Ontario Federation of Labour, he is a frequent media contributor and has written many articles on education and labour in Canada. His two most recent books are Free Speech in Fearful Times: After 9/11 in Canada, the U.S., Australia and Europe (edited with Allan Manson) and Disciplining Dissent: The Curbing of Free Expression in Academia and the Media (edited with William Bruneau).

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