The Contrarian Prize lecture provides a platform to the winner of the prize to speak about a topic of their choice that highlights the principles of independence, courage and sacrifice.
This is a public lecture and aims to encourage the audience to think about the values we expect our leaders in British public life to espouse and whether the behaviours that they engage in are concomitant with these ideals. The lecture is delivered before the deadline for nominations for the prize to encourage people to put forward suitable individuals for this accolade
Wednesday, 1st November 2023, Bayes Business School
Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in democracies, but it often comes into tension with efforts to limit the spread of harmful misinformation and hate speech. This event will provide perspectives from both sides of this complex issue.
In this lecture, the journalist and author, Toby Young, current holder of the Contrarian Prize and founder of the Free Speech Union will argue that efforts to suppress misinformation and controversial views often backfire and undermine democratic discourse.
Responding to the lecture will be Dr Mark Honigsbaum, Senior Lecturer in Journalism at City, University of London, and Jemima Kelly, Columnist at the Financial Times. The event will be chaired by Cindy Yu, Assistant Editor of the Spectator.
This is a public conversation so there will be plenty of time for audience questions to really engage in a meaningful dialogue.
You can register to attend here
