So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast takes an uncensored look at the world of free expression through the law, philosophy, and stories that define your right to free speech. Hosted by FIRE's Nico Perrino. New episodes post every other Thursday.
Episodes
Imagine the government forcing you to label your all-natural milk product as “imitation.”
Florida tried to make one dairy farm do just that, sparking a First Amendment question: Where’s the line between a business’s right to speak and protecting consumers from deception?
In this episode, we explore how far free speech protections go for commercial speech with:
Throughout his career, former Congressman Justin Amash has been a strong advocate for freedom of speech, writing that “The value of free speech comes from encountering views that are unorthodox, uncommon, or unaccepted…Free speech is a barren concept if people are limited to expressing views already widely held.”
In this special live episode, filmed in front of 200+ high schoolers attending FIRE’s Free Spe...
We’re checking in on the latest news in tech and free speech.
We cover the state AI regulation moratorium that failed in Congress, the ongoing Character A.I. lawsuit, the Federal Trade Commission’s consent decree with Omnicom and Interpublic Group, the European Union’s Digital Services Act, and what comes next after the Supreme Court’s Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton decision.
Guests:
FIRE staff responds to the Court's decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton that addresses a Texas law requiring age verification for accessing certain sexual material online.
Joining us:
Will Creeley — Legal director
Bob Corn-Revere — Chief counsel
Ronnie London — General counsel
Timestamps:<...
We discuss the Supreme Court backing Maine lawmaker Laurel Libby, NPR filing suit against Trump, a years-long dispute over a student wearing a “there are only two genders” shirt, the Secret Service investigation into James Comey, the latest on Harvard vs. Trump, and more.
Guests:
Bob Corn-Revere — chief counsel, FIRE
Lee Levine — ...
Heather Mac Donald discusses the Trump administration’s free speech record amidst its battles with higher ed, mainstream media, law firms, and more.
Mac Donald is Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Her most recent book is “When race trumps merit: How the pursuit of equity sacrifices excellence, destroys beauty, and threatens lives.”
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
The co-authors of “The Canceling of the American Mind” discuss its new paperback release and where cancel culture stands a year and a half after the book’s original publication.
- Greg Lukianoff —
Our guests today signed onto a statement by a group of 18 law professors who opposed the Trump administration’s funding threats at Columbia on free speech and academic freedom grounds.
Since then, Northwestern, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard, and nearly 60 other colleges and universities are under investigation with their funding hanging in the balance, allegedly for violations of civil rights law.
Read more
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 survey...
We explore how censorship is impacting institutions — from universities to law firms to the Maine House of Representatives.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:40 Federal government cuts Columbia’s funding
16:57 Updates on the Mahmoud Khalil case
27:01 Ed Martin’s Georgetown letter
34:59 Trump targeting law firms
55:01 Maine House censur...
First Amendment lawyer Marc Randazza and immigration lawyer Jeffrey Rubin join the show to discuss the arrest, detention, and possible deportation of green card holder Mahmoud Khalil.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Latest updates on Khalil
02:51 First Amendment implications
06:08 Legal perspectives on deportation
11:54 Chilling effects on f...
Does a cat stand on two legs or four?
The answer to that question may tell you all you need to know about the government involving itself in social media content moderation.
On today’s show, we cover the latest tech policy developments involving the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, AI regulation, and more.
Guests:
- Ari Cohn...
From JD Vance’s free speech critique of Europe to the Trump administration barring the Associated Press from the Oval Office, free speech news is buzzing. General Counsel Ronnie London and Chief Counsel Bob Corn-Revere unpack the latest developments.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:49 JD Vance’s speech in Europe
13:27 Margaret Brennan’s comment on the Holocaust
Read more
Over the years, elite institutions shifted from fostering open debate to enforcing ideological conformity. But as guest Ilya Shapiro puts it, “the pendulum is swinging back.” He shares his firsthand experience with cancel culture and how the American Bar Association’s policies influence legal education. Shapiro also opines on major free speech cases before the Supreme Court, including the TikTok ownership battle and Te...
The University of Chicago is known for its commitment to free speech and academic freedom. Why are these values important to the university? Where do they originate? And how do they help administrators navigate conflicts and controversies?
Tony Banout and Tom Ginsburg direct the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, which received a $100 million gift last year. They are also editors of “The Ch...
Is the free speech conversation too simplistic?
Peter Ives thinks so. He is the author of “Rethinking Free Speech,” a new book that seeks to provide a more nuanced analysis of the free speech debate within various domains, from government to campus to social media.
Ives is a professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg. He researches and writes on the politics of “global Engli...
FIRE staffers take your questions on the TikTok ban, mandatory DEI statements, the Kids Online Safety Act, Trump vs. the media, and more.
Joining us:
-
Ari Cohn, lead counsel for tech policy
-
Robert Shibley, special counsel for campus advocacy
-
Will Creeley, legal director
This webinar was open to the public. Future monthly FIRE Member Webinars will not be. Become a paid subscriber t...
“Who controls what is taught in American universities — professors or politicians?”
Yale Law professor Keith Whittington answers this timely question and more in his new book, “You Can’t Teach That! The Battle over University Classrooms.” He joins the podcast to discuss the history of academic freedom, the difference between intramural and extramural speech, and why there is a “weaponization” of intellectu...
Woodrow Wilson or Franklin D. Roosevelt: which president was worse for free speech?
In August, FIRE posted a viral X thread, arguing that Woodrow Wilson may be America’s worst-ever president for free speech. Despite the growing recognition of Wilson’s censorship, there was a professor who wrote a recent book on FDR’s free speech record, arguing that FDR was worse.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali grew up in a culture of conformity. She was beaten and mutilated. She was told who she must marry.
Eventually, she rebelled.
“You don’t speak up at first,” she told us. “First you leave and you find a place of safety. It’s only after that experience that it occurred to me to speak up about anything.”
Hirsi Ali is a human rights activist, a research fellow at the Ho...
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