The cause of free speech draws passionate defenders and high rhetoric. It is associated with images of the struggle of oppressed people for democracy and of journalist martyrs killed for uncovering the truth of political or commercial corruption.
Some saw the judgment made against Andrew Bolt, and the law under which it was made, as an undue infringement on the right to free speech. But it was notable that many of those who held this view also dissociated themselves from what Bolt had written. They regarded it as bad journalism.
So it may be worthwhile to step back from the Bolt case and the question whether the law on which it turned was good law, to consider what kind of speech is ethically good or bad.
Ethical reflection on communication is best begun by reflecting on its importance for human flourishing. Speech enables people to reflect on what matters most deeply to them, to discover the reality of their lives and world, to form and sustain relationships and to work cooperatively for common goals. When we communicate we reveal and shape ourselves. But we also help shape other people and our society for better or worse. That is why freedom to speak is essential. It is also why there is a public interest in the way people communicate.
From this perspective, communication is good when it contributes to human flourishing. It is bad when it inhibits or stifles human flourishing. The qualities of good communication are evident in general terms, although elusive in detail. Good speech will normally be true, in the sense both that speaker and hearer are on the same page, and in the sense that when speakers assert something to be true they are seeking the truth and attend to the evidence for their claim.
If it is to build good relationships and contribute to society, communication must also be respectful both of the interlocutor and of the people who are the objects of conversation. Respect is due both to individuals and to racial, ethnic or other groups within society. Without this respect the building of a prosperous and harmonious society is hindered.
These qualities of ethically good communication may seem to exclude conflict. But because the search for truth is at the heart of communication, robust argument is essential to it. Good communication also demands that corruption and misconduct in public life must be revealed, even if this diminishes the