Milton Friedman Prize

Flemming Rose Receives the 2016 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty

Flemming Rose, Danish journalist and author of The Tyranny of Silence, is the recipient of the 2016 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty. In 2005, Rose, then an editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, sparked worldwide controversy when he commissioned and published 12 cartoons meant to depict the prophet Muhammad. The illustrations, intended to draw attention to the issue of self-censorship and the threat that intimidation poses to free speech, provoked deadly chaos in the Islamic world and put Rose in the center of a global debate about the limits to free speech in the 21st century.

The Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, named in honor of perhaps the greatest champion of liberty in the 20th century, is presented every other year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to advance human freedom.
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WSJ: Notable & Quotable - The Milton Friedman Prize

“We need a noninstrumental or nonutilitarian argument for free speech. Freedom of speech is a good in and of itself. It has intrinsic value.”
From remarks by Danish journalist Flemming Rose upon receiving the Cato Institute’s Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty…”
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Publishers Weekly: PICTURE OF THE DAY

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PICTURE OF THE DAY
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Rose Accepts Milton Friedman Prize Flemming Rose (l.), Danish journalist and author of ‘The Tyranny of Silence,’ receives the 2016 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty from former ACLU president Nadine Strossen on May 25 at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. The $250,000 award, given bi-annually by the Cato Institute, is presented every other year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to advance human freedom. Credit: Brendan O’Hara

Atlas Network: JOURNALIST FLEMMING ROSE PRESENTED WITH MILTON FRIEDMAN PRIZE FOR COURAGEOUS DEFENSE OF FREE SPEECH

“Free expression is in danger across the globe. Protestors who are offended by the ideas of others have a chilling effect on the publication and dissemination of speech — and some of those protests aim for a violent suppression of ideas they don’t like. Danish journalist Flemming Rose found himself at the center of controversy in 2005 after the newspaper he worked for at the time, Jyllands-Posten, published a set of editorial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His recent book, The Tyranny of Silence: How One Cartoon Ignited a Global Debate on the Future of Free Speech, recounts that period and explains why it’s important to take an active role in defending the right to speak and publish. For his work advancing the cause of free speech, the Cato Institute has awarded Rose the 2016 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, presented on May 25 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.”
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National Review: A Danish journalist stands up to attempts to suppress unpopular opinions

“Both around the world and here at home, free speech is under assault. From the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris to the “unexplained” deaths of critics of Russian president Vladimir Putin, people who express unpopular opinions or report the truth are in danger. Worldwide, more than 110 journalists were killed in 2015, bringing the total to 787 since 2005, according to Reporters without Borders. The threats to free speech in this country don’t rise to that level, of course. But Hillary Clinton wants to change the First Amendment to limit political speech, and Donald Trump wants to rewrite libel laws so that he can sue media critics. Meanwhile, colleges routinely punish those who take unpopular stands and reject speakers who might challenge student orthodoxy. That’s one reason why it is significant that the Cato Institute will award the eighth biennial Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty to a true champion of free speech, the Danish journalist and author Flemming Rose. Rose came to the world’s attention in 2005, when, as an editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, he published a series of twelve cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Rose did so, not because he sought to be offensive, he said, but to challenge the growing wave of “self-censorship in Europe caused by widening fears and feelings of intimidation in dealing with issues related to Islam.”
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Cato.org: Flemming Rose discusses freedom of speech on FBN’s Kennedy

Flemming Rose discusses freedom of speech on FBN’s Kennedy
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The Times of Israel: Flemming Rose Awarded Prize for Advancing Liberty

“In his superb book, The Tyranny of Silence, Mr. Rose recounts the backstory and global fallout of the “cartoons crisis.” Despite widespread criticism, intimidation, and death threats — he has been featured on an Al Qaeda hit list — Mr. Rose refused to apologize for the decision to publish the cartoons. And he continues to be outspoken about the vital importance of freedom of speech — a principle that I and my colleagues at the Ayn Rand Institute regard as essential to a free society.

The Milton Friedman Award is presented by the Cato Institute, and kudos the members of the committee for their selection. I hope the prize brings greater attention to Flemming Rose’s work and particularly his book. He’s one of my intellectual heroes, and I was delighted by the news of this award.”
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