From the United States to Europe, the economic crisis has posed new threats to free expression, from restrictions on reporting and demonstrations to the rise of extremism. Is a decline in trust and a climate of self-censorship dominating the political, cultural and media landscape?

PLUS: the Russian media, lessons from the Arab Spring and the future of the internet.

Editorial - Miren Gutierrez Special Report: The Economic Crisis and Free Speech The Formidable Voices of the Plaza - Juan Luis Sánchez The Italian Anomaly - Stefania Milan Free Speech Takes a Beating - Christos Syllas Codes of Silence - Nick Cohen Theatre of Violence - Matthaios Tsimitakis Has the Economic Crisis Had an Impact on Free Expression? - Nathan Freed Wessler, Natalie Haynes, Juan Luis Manfredi and Jana Kobzova The Gazette in Crisis - Andrei Aliaksandrau A World in Your Ear - Jo Glanville Seeds of Extremism - Robert Kushen Democracy′s New Language - Ingo Schulze Global View - Kirsty Hughes On the Ground - Christi van der Westhuizen In Focus Splitting Up the Internet - Dominique Lazanski Eyes on the Stars - Diran Adebayo In the Crosshairs - Zofeen T Ebrahim Panic Stations - Julian Petley Keep Libel Laws Out of Science - Tracey Brown Lessons From the Colour Revolutions - Andrei Aliaksandrau, Dina Takbaeva and Ernest Vardanian Argentina: The Press and the Maiden - Graciela Mochkofsky Turning the Tide - Simon Davies On the Ground - Rafael Spuldar Free Speech Battles - Mike Harris Culture A Nightmare with a Happy Ending - Boualem Sansal Feeding the Hungry Ghosts - Gerard Lemos Stop Motion: Shrinking State Funds and Emplty Seats - Maurizio Regosa Head to Head - Kenan Malik and Nada Shabout ′We Shouldn′t Have to do the Job of Journalists′: Interview with Kumi Naidoo - Miren Gutierrez What Free Speech Means To Me Social and Personal - Padraig Reidy