William Allen White’s editorial “To An Anxious Friend” was written during a time of political turmoil and attacks on free speech. The Red Rocks State Historic Site’s Sundays at the Site presentation, “Free Speech Still Matters,” was timely for several reasons.
Presenter Dr Michelle Keller of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications says White may have disagreed with a viewpoint, but he respected those views.
Regarding last week’s shooting death of conservative Charlie Kirk, who was known for espousing traditional family values while denigrating minorities, Keller says there needs to be a deeper conversation about the relationship between free speech and hate speech.
Keller says the country would be well served in seeking consensus rather than chaos.
White wrote “To An Anxious Friend” in 1922, winning a Pulitzer Prize for his editorial the following year. White had been arrested for placing a pro-labor sign in the Emporia Gazette window and then wrote the editorial to champion free speech in times of political upheaval.
Sundays at the Site resumes Sept. 28.
