“Free Speech Week” Puts Berkeley Back in the Crosshairs

“Free Speech Week” Puts Berkeley Back in the Crosshairs

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Alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos recently released a list of speakers for his upcoming “Free Speech Week” at University of California Berkeley, a four-day event featuring Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter, and a host of other conservative voices. Yet, according to Berkeley officials, the Berkeley Patriot, the on-campus student publication that invited Yiannopoulos in the first place, has flubbed basic logistical planning and put “Free Speech Week” in jeopardy.

And if it falls apart, says historian Angus Johnston, then it will look like Berkeley had planned to censor the event all along. He and Brooke speak about why news consumers should focus less on the issue of campus free speech and more on Yiannopoulos’s PR strategy.