LIAR IN A CROWDED THEATRE | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Oct 26, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Oct 26, 2023 6:00 pm
14th & V
When commentators and politicians discuss misinformation, they often repeat five words: "fire in a crowded theater." Though governments can, if they choose, attempt to ban harmful lies, propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation, how effective will their efforts really be? Can they punish someone for yelling "fire" in a crowded theater—and would those lies then have any less impact? How do governments around the world respond to the spread of misinformation, and when should the US government protect the free speech of liars?
In LIAR IN A CROWDED THEATER, law professor Jeff Kosseff addresses the pervasiveness of lies, the legal protections they enjoy, the harm they cause, and how to combat them. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections to the January 6, 2021, insurrection on the Capitol building, Kosseff argues that even though lies can inflict huge damage, US law should continue to protect them. This book explores both the history of protected falsehoods and where to go from here. Drawing on years of research and thousands of pages of court documents in dozens of cases—from Alexander Hamilton's enduring defense of free speech to Eminem's victory in a lawsuit claiming that he stretched the truth in a 1999 song—Kosseff illustrates not only why courts are reluctant to be the arbiters of truth but also why they're uniquely unsuited to that role. Rather than resorting to regulating speech and fining or jailing speakers, he proposes solutions that focus on minimizing the harms of misinformation. If we want to seriously address concerns about misinformation and other false speech, we must finally exit the crowded theater.
Jeff Kosseff is joining us on the Busboys stage to share LIAR IN A CROWDED THEATER with tech analyst and writer Will Oremus. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Kosseff will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of LIAR IN A CROWDED THEATER will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will not be livestreamed.
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Jeff Kosseff is an associate professor of cybersecurity law in the United States Naval Academy’s Cyber Science Department. He is the author of four books and more than 20 academic journal articles. He practiced cybersecurity, privacy, and First Amendment law at Covington & Burling, and clerked for Judge Milan D. Smith, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a technology and political journalist for The Oregonian and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting and recipient of the George Polk Award for national reporting.
Will Oremus is technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post, focusing on the ideas, products, and power struggles shaping the digital world. Before joining The Post in 2021, he spent two years as a senior writer for the online magazine OneZero and eight years as a tech columnist for Slate, where he cohosted the podcast If Then. Oremus holds a B.A. in philosophy from Stanford University and an M.A. in politics from Columbia Journalism School. He lives in Newark, Delaware.
