So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by senior editor at The Atlantic Kate Julian and FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff to discuss rising rates of childhood depression, anxiety, and suicide.  How might these trends be connected to the way we parent our kids — and what do they mean for our wider society and for campus free speech? Kate is the author of the...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by Reason Magazine Senior Editor Robby Soave and FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff to discuss the Washington, DC Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021 and the effect it has had — and will have — on free speech, particularly speech on the internet. Robby is the author of the forthcoming book "Tech Panic." www.sotospeakpodcast.com...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino is joined by the editor of NationalReview.com, Charles C.W. Cooke , to discuss free speech philosophy, Christopher Hitchens, the October murder of a school teacher in France, and recent attacks on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Show notes: Transcript "Hate Speech and the Limits of Free Expression," a Ken...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino is joined by Richard Ovenden to discuss his new book, "Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge." Ovenden is the Director of the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Balliol College. In 2019, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. Show notes: Transcript w...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by FIRE's Robert Shibley and Adam Goldstein to discuss recent cases of censorship — and a case of racial segregation — on campus. Show notes: Teaching history not permitted: St. John's bulldozes academic freedom, punishes professor for posing question about 'Columbian Exchange' Portland's Lewis & Clark College mandates raci...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by Senior Circuit Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg for a masterclass on the history of the U.S. Constitution. Judge Ginsburg was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1986 and served as that court's Chief Judge from 2001-2008. He is also a Professor of Law at George Mason University and th...

Since 1980, the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards have recognized those who go above and beyond to protect and enhance First Amendment rights. On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by Christie Hefner, who founded and chairs the awards, to discuss the awards' origins and this year's awardees in the categories of law, book publishing, journalism, arts & enter...

Watch-along as Co-Director Nico Perrino narrates the new documentary film about the life and career of former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser, " Mighty Ira: A Civil Liberties Story ." Show notes: MightyIra.com Watch Mighty Ira in virtual cinema through Angelika Film Center www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.fac...

Former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser discusses the new film about his life and career, " Mighty Ira: A Civil Liberties Story ." The film, now in " virtual cinema ," makes the case for robust free speech protections amidst the "tough" cases, including the 1978 Skokie case and Charlottesville. Along the way, viewers will also learn about Glasser's growing up in Brooklyn, his friendship with Wi...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , FIRE Senior Research Fellow Sean Stevens joins us to discu ss the "2020 College Free Speech Rankings: What's the Climate for Free Speech on America's College Campuses?" The rankings are based on the largest free speech survey of college students ever performed, which collected the views of 20,000 students. We discuss the best and worst c...

He is most widely known for his role as lead attorney in what's simply become known as "the Skokie case."  But David Goldberger's storied legal career goes far beyond his representation of neo-Nazis who wanted to rally in a village where a large number of Holocaust survivors lived. On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by Goldberger to discuss his half century...

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , we are joined by FIRE's Robert Shibley and Samantha Harris to discuss a whirlwind summer: FIRE has fielded a record number of requests for help, and this week the Department of Education's much-anticipated new Title IX regulations go into effect. There's also "cancel culture." Show notes: FIRE's recent cases "Law alone can't protect free...

Princeton Professor Peter Singer has been called "the world's most influential living philosopher." But he may be as controversial as he is influential.  It's perhaps fitting then that he is a founding editor of a new academic publication called the Journal of Controversial Ideas . The journal claims to be the world's "first open access, peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal specifically created...

On today's episode of So to Speak , we are joined by PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel to discuss campus censorship, cancel culture, how different generations think about free speech, the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in 2015, and more. Nossel is the author of the forthcoming book, " Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. " Show notes: Transcript Bari Weiss' resignation letter ; Andrew Sullivan's "...

As protests against racial injustice continue across America, colleges and universities are increasingly speaking out in support of the protests. What's more, some are also taking action to investigate or punish faculty critical of the protesters' perceived aims. What does this mean for academic freedom and freedom of speech? And does this signal a shift away from the idea, best exemplified by the...

This episode is a rebroadcast from March 2017.   "If you spend five minutes with your worst enemy, you will find you have something in common," said Daryl Davis. "If you spend 10 minutes, you'll find you even have more in common. And the more you find that you have in common and build upon those things, the less the things that you have in contrast will begin to matter, like skin color."   Since t...

During the summer of 2017, a fierce dispute over the removal of Confederate monuments in Charlottesville, Va. captured national attention.  The events that summer led to racial animosity and heated debate over our nation's history and the First Amendment, and threw one historic city into turmoil, ultimately culminating in death and tragedy during the weekend of Aug. 11. On today's episode of So to...

A new FIRE report finds that 77% of public colleges and universities use a blacklist of secret words to censor comments on their Facebook pages. What's more, 87% of them block particular users on Facebook or Twitter. How do these blacklists work? How were they discovered? And do they violate the First Amendment?  On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino is joi...

On Wednesday, the Department of Education published its long-awaited new Title IX regulations. Over the years — and with the federal government's prodding — Title IX has been twisted and used to justify censorship and the denial of core due process rights for those accused of sexual misconduct on America's college campus. The new regulations will better protect certain free speech and due process...

With much of the country under stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19, what do these orders mean for the five freedoms of the First Amendment? On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino and constitutional law expert Josh Blackman will break it all down. Blackman is a professor of law at the South Texas College of Law in Houston and the author of three books, includ...

For authoritarian leaders across the globe, the coronavirus emergency presents an opportunity to silence critics and consolidate power. On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino is joined by international free expression experts Jacob Mchangama and Sarah McLaughlin to discuss how countries like Turkey, Hungary, Egypt, and Thailand are banning "fake news" amidst...

How and why do authoritarian regimes seek to control information? On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino is joined by University of Maryland Associate Professor Cynthia L. Martin to explore how one country, the former Soviet Union, restricted access to information and stifled dissent — and what changed when that regime collapsed in 1991. Show notes: Podcast...

"Coronavirus and the failure of the 'Marketplace of Ideas'" by Foundation for Individual Rights in Education President & CEO Greg Lukianoff, as read by Susan Kruth. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org  

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino sits down with FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff to discuss how FIRE is adapting to the coronavirus outbreak. We also explore the ideas behind Greg's new, widely discussed article, " Coronavirus and the failure of the 'Marketplace of Ideas' ." Show notes: Transcript Greg's "The Eternally Radical Idea" blog Abrams v. U...

Why is it important that we protect freedom of speech? On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast , host Nico Perrino speaks with Duke University School of Law professor Joseph Blocher , who argues that one of the most common justifications for free speech — creating a "marketplace of ideas" in our search for truth — rests on unstable ground in our "post-truth" era. In his article,...