Debates about hate speech, free speech, politcal correctness and the growing tendency to the knee-jerk cross-fire response are running hot. Some say in the eye of this storm swirls social media – immediate, ubiquitous, user friendly and now very much part of everyday life.Politics and policy studies lecturer at Deakin University, and former journalist, Marie Rae researches speech law reforms and the way journalists negotiate the delicate balance between freedom of expression and hate speech in liberal democracies. She joins Communication Mixdown this week to explore some of the issues.