In democracies, freedom of expression is a fundamental right. But what happens when people demonstrably spread false information? Are they allowed to do so as long as they are “only expressing their opinion”? Or does a society need clear boundaries, not least to protect social cohesion and democracy? How do we deal with differing “truths” in discourse? How selectively do we perceive truth and opinion in the digital public sphere – and how do I even distinguish “true” from “credible” in times of fake news, deepfakes, and AI?
This year, The Freedom of Expression Week will address the following questions: Where does opinion end – and where does responsibility begin? What role do media play, and how do they influence our perception of truth?
Martina Stemann, Managing Director of the Freedom of Expression Foundation of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, said: What is true? – that is the question of our time. Even in times of change, there are foundations on which we can continue to build. The book industry plays a central role here as a guarantor of content quality. Through trusting collaboration with our partners, we create momentum every year during the Week of Freedom of Expression that opens up space for pressing questions, enables debate, and deliberately focuses attention on the foundations of our social cohesion.
The opening ceremony for Freedom of Expression Week will take place on May 5th at St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt. Further events are being planned throughout Germany, including in cities such as Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich.
About the Week of Freedom of Expression
In cooperation with the Frankfurt Agency Alliance, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels) launched the Week of Freedom of Expression in 2021 to promote the importance of diversity of opinion. Since 2024, the action week has been organized by the Freedom of Expression Foundation, founded by the Börsenverein, with the support of its cooperation partners and sponsors. To date, the Week of Freedom of Expression has reached over 500 million people through its campaign and was awarded the International German PR Award in 2022.
Service and Contact
Further information: woche-der-meinungsfreiheit.de/
Event registration: www.woche-der-meinungsfreiheit.de/#mach-mit
Program inquiries: Birgit Politycki, bp@politycki-partner.de