Ep. 240: Is there a global free speech recession?

We travel from America to Europe, Russia, China, and more places to answer the question: Is there a global free speech recession? 

Guests:

- Sarah McLaughlin: FIRE senior scholar, global expression

- James Kirchick: FIRE senior fellow

- Jacob Mchangama: FIRE senior fellow

Timestamps: 

00:00 Intro

03:52 Free speech global surveys

07:49 Freedom of expression deteriorating

11:43 Misinformation and disinformation

18:05 Russian state-sponsored media

24:55 Europe’s Digital Services Act

29:26 Chinese censorship

34:33 Radio Free Europe

54:57 Mohammad cartoons

01:04:14 Outro

Read the transcript here.

Enjoy listening to the podcast? Donate to FIRE today and get exclusive content like member webinars, special episodes, and more. If you became a FIRE Member through a donation to FIRE at thefire.org and would like access to Substack’s paid subscriber podcast feed, please email [e-mail].

Show notes:

- Authoritarians in the academy: How the internationalization of higher education and borderless censorship threaten free speech Sarah McLaughlin (2025) 

- “The First Amendment created gay America” So to Speak (2022)

- “Secret city: The hidden history of gay Washington” James Kirchick (2022)

- “Who in the world supports free speech?” The Future of Free Speech (2025)

- “V-DEM democracy report 2025: 25 years of autocratization — democracy trumped?” V-Dem Institute (2025)

- Global risks report 2024 World Economic Forum (2025)

- “Gay reporter kicked off Kremlin network after protesting anti-gay law” Washington Free Beacon (2013)

- Free speech: A history from Socrates to social media (paperback) Jacob Mchangama (2025)

- .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}