Speech Has Never Been Free, and That’s Good

Censorship always exists. The question is to what end.

Illustration: Daniel Zender

The one thing speech isn’t is free. There are costs to those who produce it and costs to those who are subjected to it. Of course, the term “free speech” does have a clear meaning under the Constitution: If you want to say something, you don’t have to ask the government’s permission, and you won’t…