Embracing power of public debate

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided New York Times v. Sullivan. The decision was extraordinary because it changed fundamentally the way the press and the people could criticize public officials. In an op-ed for the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, Furman communication studies professor Sean O’Rourke writes that is a case we should remember, if only to understand why our system of government can at times be so exceptional.

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