> I've recently heard a number of "free speech" advocates try to expand that to be a right to be heard, i.e. a right to a captured audience & other people's attention.
You're confusing two different aspects: free speech as a guaranteed right and free speech as a principle.
As a right, it means the state shouldn't prevent you from communicating something. An example is the US's First Amendment.
As a principle, it means you support speech, even when you disagree with it. An example of this is "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
As a publisher, you have the free speech right to NOT publish something you disagree with, but you can't then say you support free speech as a concept.
It's quite an imposition to force someone to say something he doesn't desire to say. But the free speech advocates you speech of (like me) only want the law to be changed for quasi-public-square entities such as Facebook and Twitter.
I'm not confusing anything, I merely stated my observations on people expanding (if your distinction applies,to both the right and the concept).
That statement should be amended to "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it to those who choose to listen"
Just as real-life town squares allow people to walk away, boo or shout back at speakers, the same rights should be preserved for audiences on Facebook and Twitter.
You're confusing two different aspects: free speech as a guaranteed right and free speech as a principle.
As a right, it means the state shouldn't prevent you from communicating something. An example is the US's First Amendment.
As a principle, it means you support speech, even when you disagree with it. An example of this is "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
As a publisher, you have the free speech right to NOT publish something you disagree with, but you can't then say you support free speech as a concept.
It's quite an imposition to force someone to say something he doesn't desire to say. But the free speech advocates you speech of (like me) only want the law to be changed for quasi-public-square entities such as Facebook and Twitter.