The right of freedom of expression and its limits: Hate speech in Cyprus public television (CyBC). Interview given by the singer Notis Sfakianakis on the CyBC programme ‘Tête-à-Tête’

Abstract

In a democratic society the right to freedom of expression is never absolute. However, the setting of limits has always been a point of friction and discussion. The authorising bodies must examine each case set before them and decide whether it constitutes an attempt at unwarranted limitation or, in the opposite case, of misappropriation of that right. This also applies in the case of Journalistic Ethics Commissions, which, on the one hand, are called upon to defend the rights of media practitioners to free expression and, on the other, to protect society from messages with unethical content. In this paper the right of expression is juxtaposed to the need to avoid disseminating messages based on racist hate speech.