As a follow-up to my previous article concerning the Changzhou Foreign Languages School controversy, in which hundreds of students' health are affected by toxic waste from a nearby chemical plant, I created the documentary that critically evaluates parents', students', teachers', as well as government officials' response to this incident. This video is now on YouTube. Please click on the links below to view my work:

This essay, by Suvendrini Perera and Joseph Pugliese, is an immediate response to two recent events, the release of the findings into the death in custody of Ms Dhu in the week before Christmas 2016, and the death in custody of Manus Island refugee, Faysal Ishak Ahmed, on Christmas Eve.

People from outside one culture or circle should feel free to express their opinions and not have them dismissed so easily. With debate, we learn to extend our empathy and understanding beyond what we consider familiar. However unnecessarily controversial or aggressive statements can undermine everything that the notion of free speech has given us, ridiculing it or reducing it to silly debates.