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The Vox Box

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Too Much Freedom of Speech?

In a novel he published himself, Harry Nicolaides insulted royalty and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Nicolaides, 31, is an Australian novelist who was arrested five months ago for insulting a Thai king in his self-published novel.  This controversial arrest relates back to the idea that anyone who “defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent" is subject to a prison term of up to 15 years.

"Verisimilitude," Nicolaides' novel, became published in 2005 and has yet to sell more than a dozen copies.

Nicolaides states, “I would like to apologize. This can’t be real. It feels like a bad dream.”  He also admits to feeling as though he has experienced "unspeakable suffering" since he was arrested.

Would this situation have the same effect on Harry Nicolaides had he been an American and therefore entitled to freedom of speech?  Does this right give people the right to write that freely?  Where does the line lie where poor personal ethics become a legal issue? 

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.