Richard L. Hasen of UC Irvine School of Law has authored Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics - and How to Cure It, discussing legal and social measures to combat disinformation and support American democracy.
An informed and practical road map for controlling disinformation, embracing free speech, saving American elections, and protecting democracy
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"A fresh, persuasive and deeply disturbing overview of the baleful and dangerous impact on the nation of widely disseminated false speech on social media. Richard Hasen, the country’s leading expert about election law, has written this book with flair and clarity.”—Floyd Abrams, author of?The Soul of the First Amendment
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What can be done consistent with the First Amendment to ensure that American voters can make informed election decisions and hold free elections amid a flood of virally spread disinformation and the collapse of local news reporting? How should American society counter the actions of people like former President Donald J. Trump, who used social media to convince millions of his followers to doubt the integrity of U.S. elections and helped foment a violent insurrection? What can we do to minimize disinformation campaigns aimed at suppressing voter turnout?
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With piercing insight into the current debates over free speech, censorship, and Big Tech’s responsibilities, Richard L. Hasen proposes legal and social measures to restore Americans’ access to reliable information on which democracy depends. In an era when quack COVID treatments and bizarre QAnon theories have entered mainstream, this book explains how to assure both freedom of ideas and a commitment to truth.
Cheap Speech will be released March 8.
Hasen is the co-director of UC Irvine’s Fair Elections and Free Speech Center and served as an Adviser for ALI’s Principles of the Law, Election Administration: Non-Precinct Voting and Resolution of Ballot-Counting Disputes, published in 2019. He currently serves as Co-Reporter for Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Remedies.