, Columnist
The Echo Chamber Is the Enemy of Democracy
Wisdom on free speech from Justice Brandeis and William F. Buckley.
Protesting an invitation to Steve Bannon to speak at the University of Chicago.
Photographer: Max HermanNurPhoto via Getty Images
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The decision of David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, to rescind Steve Bannon’s invitation to speak at the magazine’s festival next month has created a storm of protest. Those who abhor Remnick’s decision point to similar controversies on university campuses, where a pervasive question has been whether to host people whose statements or actions seem abhorrent to many people.
Disturbingly, most of the controversies involve people whose views are to the right of center.