The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act says that, "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form." And yet, some content is so heinous, and risks causing so much damage, that it must be limited for the safety of society. In this harrowing, thought-provoking and challenging talk, New Zealand Chief Censor David Shanks talks about the challenges of finding where to draw that line and the paradox that sits at the heart of freedom of speech, using the specific example of the live stream video of the Christchurch mosque attack in March 2019. David Shanks is New Zealand’s Chief Censor and leads the Office of Film and Literature Classification, which is an Independent Crown Entity.
He’s responsible for protecting New Zealanders from harm, especially harm to children and young people that can come from sex, crime, cruelty, horror and violence in media. This balances with upholding New Zealander's right to freedom of expression and recognising the diverse views of all Kiwis.
David’s career has spanned senior leadership and legal positions in both the public and private sectors; he is a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
From a start in private practice litigation in Palmerston North, and following a stint of commercial legal work in London, David has run some of the largest public legal teams in the country, and conducted national inquiries as Chief Legal Advisor for the State Services Commission. He has also held multiple general management positions. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx