Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Free Speech Advocate Joanna Williams objects to Roar transcript

Associate Editor of Spiked Joanna Williams speaks to SU President Ahad Mahmood

The moment of the conversation between Joanna Williams and President Ahad Mahmood

Spiked Journalist Joanna Williams, who controversially featured in a War Studies event in November, has emailed Roar News asking for the removal of a conversation published by the paper between her and President Ahad Mahmood.

 

Joanna Williams who advocates for free speech and has criticised universities for increased levels of censorship has objected to the publication of a transcript of the conversation in the latest print edition of Roar News.

 

The conversation took place in the middle of the Great Hall at a War Studies event called ‘Endangered Speeches’ which aimed to discuss the importance of free speech on university campuses.

 

A copy of the email is shown below:

 

“Hello,

I’m Joanna Williams. I spoke at a recent King’s event to launch the Endangered Speeches series. I notice you have a couple of articles about me and the event currently on your website.
At the end of one it says:
 

Read an exclusive transcript of Joanna Williams’ confrontation with President Mahmood in Roar’s December print issue!

I was just wondering:
Who gave you permission to record this conversation?
Who gave you permission to print this conversation?
Unlike the event from the stage – where what I was saying was very clearly in the public domain – this was a private conversation between me and President Mahmood.
It seems ethically dubious to say the least to record and print private conversations without permission.
Please do get back to me as soon as possible – i’d be immensely grateful to hear I’ve got the wrong end of the stick and you are not publishing either recordings or transcripts of my private conversations without permission!
Thank you very much indeed.
Jo”
To read the transcript, please pick up a copy of the latest edition of Roar News from any Roar receptacle on campus.
 
 
More information about the event can be found here.
 
 

About the author

Related

Comment

In response to the presence of Turning Point UK on Strand Campus, staff writer Zoé Courty argues the only effective way to counter the...

Hand writing mathematical formulas on a blackboard with chalk Hand writing mathematical formulas on a blackboard with chalk

Science & Innovation

Sports Editor Abyan Memon discusses the alleged breakthroughs OpenAI has made in the maths world. Two separate announcements by OpenAI revealed a frontier AI...

Science & Innovation

New Scientist Live 2026 (NSLive 2026) featured talks and exhibitions from scientists who specialise in a wide range of fields, from brain health to...

Mathematical formulas and abstract wireframe structures in grayscale Mathematical formulas and abstract wireframe structures in grayscale

Comment

From a military and security point of view, funding quantum and AI makes sense. From every other point of view, defunding curiosity driven (blue...

Pink spherical cells attached to a textured green structure against a black background Pink spherical cells attached to a textured green structure against a black background

Science & Innovation

Staff writer Luca Read discusses the initially promising but increasingly nerve-wracking research into CAR T cells for cancer research at King’s. Chimeric Antigen Receptor...

Comment

In response to the presence of Turning Point UK on Strand Campus, staff writer Zoé Courty argues the only effective way to counter the...

News

King’s College London has reinstated a student suspended over non-academic misconduct following pro-Palestine protest activity, after a year-long legal dispute and campaign calling for...

KCLSU & Societies

Ahead of Tuesday’s King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU) Awards Ceremony, nominees from a range of different societies reflected on a year marked by...

Culture

Staff writer Holly Banwell writes on the impact of Stephen Graham's Adolescence, and his latest project Letters to our Sons.