On The Front Lines
Writer/Activist Nat Hentoff Sounds Off on the Erosion of Civil Liberties Since 9-11 in an Exclusive Interview with oldSpeak
The Rutherford Institute Launches oldSpeak, an Online MagazineDedicated to Providing an Independent Forum on Politics, Arts & Culture, Law and Religion
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--In a nod to one of the most outspoken writers and critics of the 21st century, oldSpeak magazine, a publication of The Rutherford Institute, makes its online debut with an exclusive interview between Village Voice columnist Nat Hentoff and Institute president and founder John W. Whitehead. For over 30 years, Hentoff has been a tireless defender of the First Amendment and a fierce advocate of the free speech rights of those with dissenting views. Each week oldSpeak will publish interviews, articles and commentary on subjects often overlooked by the mainstream media in the areas of politics, arts & culture, law and religion.
"Oldspeak," a term coined by George Orwell in his novel 1984, refers to Standard English, which Orwell saw as being stripped of its real meaning and power and replaced with a state language, "Newspeak," that would make independent thought impossible. As Orwell wrote:
The word free still existed in Newspeak, but could only be used in such statements as "The dog is free from lice" or "This field is free from weeds." It could not be used in its old sense of "politically free" or "intellectually free," since political and intellectual freedom no longer existed even as concepts, and were therefore of necessity nameless.
"In a day and age when truth is often treated like silly putty in the hands of the mainstream media, advertising agencies and government bureaucracies, it is vital that we have a source of information dedicated to honesty and integrity," said Whitehead. "In this way, oldSpeak will provide an alternative to the officially sanctioned information channels."
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.
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