“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom of Expression A report of the ArtsProfessional Pulse survey February 2020 This report has been published by ArtsProfessional, a trading name of Arts Intelligence Limited. © 2020 ArtsProfessional www.artsprofessional.co.uk The publishers would like to thank everyone who completed the online Freedom of Expression survey during autumn 2019. Contributor comments have been redacted where necessary so that individuals may not be identified. ArtsProfessional would welcome conversations with academic institutions and other bodies interested in having access to the wholly anonymous data set to conduct further analysis that will shed more light on freedom of expression in the cultural sector. Cover photo: Niels M. Knudsen – www.flickr.com/photos/nielsmknudsen Email [email protected] Page 2 An ArtsProfessional Subscriber Report Contents Contents .................................................................................................3 5.1 Pressure from within ...............................................................25 Foreword ................................................................................................4 5.2 Trustees ..................................................................................27 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................6 5.3 Sponsors and donors ................................................................27 2.0 Do arts professionals speak their minds? ..............................................7 5.4 Funders ...................................................................................27 3.0 What is left unspoken?......................................................................10 5.5 Campaigning and pressure groups ............................................28 3.1 Politics ....................................................................................10 5.6 Social media ............................................................................28 3.2 Funding and sponsorship .........................................................12 5.7 Public .....................................................................................29 3.3 Gender identity / sexuality .......................................................13 6.0 Artistic freedom of expression ...........................................................30 3.4 Religion / sectarianism ............................................................14 6.1 The nature of pressure .............................................................32 3.5 Diversity, equality and inclusion ...............................................14 6.2 Fighting back? .........................................................................34 3.6 Arts sector norms .....................................................................16 7.0 Conclusions ......................................................................................37 4.0 Why don’t people speak out? .............................................................18 7.1 Do arts professionals speak their minds? ...................................37 4.1 Fear of consequences ...............................................................18 7.2 What is left unspoken? .............................................................37 4.2 Fear of causing offence ............................................................20 7.3 Why don’t people speak out? ....................................................37 4.3 What’s the point? .....................................................................20 7.4 Who’s applying the pressure?....................................................38 4.4 Organisational control .............................................................20 4.5 Honest conversations unwelcome .............................................21 APPENDICES 4.6 Paid for silence ........................................................................22 A Questionnaire and tabulated quantitative responses ............................40 5.0 Who’s applying the pressure? ............................................................25 B Open text comments ...........................................................................56 An ArtsProfessional Subscriber Report Page 3 Foreword uch is the importance of ‘freedom of speech’ to democracies about his activities, concluded the inquiry chair. But a culture of “avoidance and denial” that this principle is widely quoted in defence of activities left his activities unchallenged, at the expense of his patients. And only last week Sthat might, in former times, have been considered beyond the High Court ruled that Humberside Police’s response to an ex-officer’s allegedly the pale. Politicians pedal outright lies without fear of sanctions; transphobic tweets was unlawful and a “disproportionate interference” with his right social media platforms justify their resistance to moves that would to freedom of expression. The judge ruled that the impact of putting pressure on Harry constrain their power to make money; publishers (especially those Miller “because of his political opinions must not be underestimated”, and said “to do so with pockets deep enough to withstand a defamation claim) can would be to undervalue a cardinal democratic freedom”. fatally undermine a person’s reputation in the name of ‘public Given the arguments for and against controls on freedom of expression, interest’, even if allegations against them are completely unfounded; and for the public, ArtsProfessional’s research reveals, unsurprisingly, a continuum of views on how much it’s open season for expressing any offensive thought, desire or opinion online without freedom is the ‘right’ amount. For some respondents, those working in the sector should fear of a face to face confrontation and be free to speak out on any subject little prospect of being sued. It is easy “I often feel pressured to self-censor for at any time. No holds barred. When it to argue that having freedom of speech fear of being ‘cancelled’ or bullied for not comes to artistic output, self-censorship brings out the worst in us all. conforming to the orthodoxy” is rejected by the vast majority. Nearly 9 But, of course, the flip side is more out of 10 agreed that “The arts & cultural deeply troubling. Curtailing free speech in whatever form is what allows dark forces sector has a responsibility to use its unique talents to speak out about things that to gather. Hidden from public scrutiny, brutal regimes can take punitive action against matter, regardless of the potential consequences”. campaigners fighting for their human rights; the establishment can control the It’s a very positive endorsement of the importance of free speech. So you might expect proletariat by keeping everyone in ignorance of inequalities; corruption can blossom, those working in the sector to be open and tolerant of each other, welcoming of debate helping those in the know get richer and more powerful at the expense of and diverse opinion, and prepared to stand up and challenge the status quo. But nothing the marginalised; organisations can profit from the exploitation of could be further from the truth. More than 8 out of 10 respondents agreed that “Workers their workers; and institutions can victimise individuals to avoid in the arts & cultural sector who share controversial opinions risk being professionally suffering reputational damage. Last month an independent ostracised”. The overwhelming message that comes across from more than 1,000 free inquiry into a surgeon’s malpractice pointed the fingers at his text comments running to 60,000 words is neatly summed up by one person, who colleagues for failing to speak out. “Some could have known, said “I often feel pressured to self-censor for fear of being ‘cancelled’ or bullied for not while others should have known, and a few must have known” Page 4 An ArtsProfessional Subscriber Report conforming to the orthodoxy”. ArtsProfessional’s disturbing ArtsPay survey, and the shocking revelations around Sexual It’s important to note that this research is based on a self-selecting sample of people. Harrassment have both provided valuable evidence of serious injustices taking place in The anonymous forum provided by the survey is likely to have been more eagerly the sector under everyone’s nose. This Freedom of Expression report goes some way to embraced by those who have experienced censorship or self-censorship themselves, explaining why these have been able to take root. and were free for the first time to share their stories without fear of retribution. This But the research is the easy bit. The challenge now is how to put an end to some deeply includes those who are subject to contractual gagging clauses that have taken away damaging behavioural norms that are creating tensions between cultural professionals, their right to speak out. But however sceptical you may be about the validity of the setting the sector apart from the wider community, and will surely, in the end, figures, there is no denying the anguish, fears, regret and anger expressed by the very undermine public confidence. many who left personal comments. Their experiences form a disturbing and permanent “…a disturbing and permanent testimony testimony that shines a light upon coercion, that shines a light upon coercion, bullying, intimidation and intolerance among bullying, intimidation and intolerance a community that thinks of itself as liberal,