The 8 Values of Free Expression: Which are the most important?

The eight values of free expression are essential in a country like ours because they allow people to freely express themselves without any fear of restraint, control, or oppression. These values include diversity, accountability, truth, privacy, safety, access, innovation, and collaboration. Each of these values plays a critical role in making sure our free expression is protected.

Arguably, the most important value of free expression is diversity. Growing up, I attended private school in my early school years and was homeschooled at home before high school; these both were places where everyone's thoughts, ideas, and opinions were very similar. It was unheard of to hear a drastically different approach to an idea. Once I was introduced to public school in my high school years, and then now college, I have never been surrounded more by a diverse group of individuals. Diversity allows for a variety of different perspectives to be shared and that is most important to be successful. Without diversity, individuals would be limited in the way they expressed themselves; no one's voices would be heard.

The value of accountability is a value that we see very often in action today. There is a growing demand for accountability for those in power. We believe that everyone should be accountable for their actions and decisions. Because of this, we are able to hold those in power accountable with this idea of free expression. If not, those in power would be free to act without consequence, and this could be detrimental. Especially now, we want those in power to be accountable for their actions and this kind of demand is driving change in society.

Both of these values are essential for a working, successful society such as ours. Without them, individuals would not be able to freely express themselves and we would not have as diverse of a country as we do now. We also would not have individuals who feel compelled to be accountable for their important decisions. Freedom of speech and self-expression is one of the most important rights we have as Americans, ones that we should not take for granted.

Carizal, Clariza. “Why Is Freedom of Speech Important? (19 Reasons).” Enlightio, 25 Feb. 2023, enlightio.com/why-is-freedom-of-speech-important#:~:text=Freedom%20of%20expression%20allows%20for%20a%20variety%20of,take%20into%20account%20the%20views%20of%20all%20citizens.