So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

FIRE

So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast takes an uncensored look at the world of free expression through personal stories and candid conversations. New episodes post every other Thursday. read less

Ep. 193 Can you still have a debate in high school debate?
Aug 10 2023
Ep. 193 Can you still have a debate in high school debate?
High school debate is considered an ideal extracurricular activity for aspiring lawyers, politicians, or anyone seeking to learn the tools of effective communication and persuasion. But a slew of recent reports argue that high school debate is being captured by political ideology, rendering certain arguments off-limits, some debate topics undebatable, and ad hominem attacks fair game. Debate judges disclose their judging paradigms by saying things like, “I will listen to conservative-leaning arguments, but be careful,” or, “Before anything else, including being a debate judge, I am a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist. . . . I cannot check the revolutionary proletarian science at the door when I’m judging.” Some debates even devolve into personal attacks, spurred on by judges who say they “will consider indictments of an opponent on the basis that they have done [or] said something racist, gendered, [or] -phobic in their personal behavior.” On today’s show, we’re joined by two former high school debaters who are dismayed by these trends. James Fishback is the founder of Incubate Debate, which hosts free debate tournaments for students in Florida. Matthew Adelstein is a rising sophomore studying philosophy at the University of Michigan and publishes Bentham's Newsletter, a newsletter about utilitarianism. Show notes: Transcript of episode “Part I: At high school debates, debate is no longer allowed” by James Fishback “Part II: At high school debates, watch what you say” by James Fishback “How critical theory is radicalizing high school debate” by Maya Bodnick Nico’s current reading list on critical theory: “Grand Hotel Abyss” by Stuart Jeffries and “America’s Cultural Revolution” by Christopher F. Rufo www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org
Ep. 191 Civil liberties and Civil War
Jul 13 2023
Ep. 191 Civil liberties and Civil War
In the last episode of the “So to Speak” podcast, we traced the dramatic story of free speech in the United States from colonial America to the abolitionists' campaign to abolish slavery. In this week’s episode, we pick up where we left off and explore the complicated history and legacy of civil liberties during the American Civil War. Professor and author Joseph R. Fornieri and FIRE Chief Counsel Robert Corn-Revere join the show this week to unpack Abraham Lincoln’s justifications for suspending civil liberties and the important lesson that, in war, civil liberties can be hard to uphold, and our rights can be difficult to defend.  Show notes: Transcript “Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction” by Allen Guelzo “Lincoln’s First Amendment Record” by Eve Errickson (The Lincoln Cottage) “The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties” by Mark E. Neeley, Jr. “All the Laws but One: Civil Liberties in Wartime” by William H. Rehnquist “Did Abraham Lincoln Exceed His Presidential Powers during the Civil War?” (The Bill of Rights Institute) “Lincoln and Civil Liberties” (The Gilder-Lehrman Institute)  Join FIRE on July 20th at 3:00 PM EST for a special live-streamed episode of the "So to Speak" podcast about the Supreme Court's free speech decisions from this past term.  Hear from FIRE’s Darpana Sheth, Bob Corn-Revere, and Ronnie London on what these decisions mean for free expression, (and maybe even for you), and ask the panel anywhatever burning questions you may have.  You can register here. www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SotoSpeakTheFreeSpeechPodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org
Ep. 190 Free speech and Abolitionism
Jun 28 2023
Ep. 190 Free speech and Abolitionism
Last Constitution Day, we traced the origins of free speech in the United States from colonial America to the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791. In this episode, we jump forward to the antebellum period, where abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, John Quincy Adams, William Lloyd Garrison, and Angelina Grimké clashed with pro-slavery advocates over the monumental issue of slavery. Journalist and author Damon Root, FIRE Senior Fellow Jacob Mchangama, and Washington and Lee University professor Lucas Morel join the show this week to explore how free speech and the free press became the essential tools in the abolitionists’ campaign for freedom.  Show notes: Transcript “Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media” by Jacob Mchangama “Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Anti-Slavery Constitution” by Damon Root “Speaking the Truth” by Lucas Morel (Persuasion) “A Plea for Free Speech in Boston” by Federick Douglass (National Constitution Center) “Frederick Douglass” (The First Amendment Encyclopedia) “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass (Teaching American History) “With the Freedom of Speech, the Responsibility to Listen” (Ford Foundation)   www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SotoSpeakTheFreeSpeechPodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org
Ep. 183 The Stanford shout-down with David Lat
Mar 22 2023
Ep. 183 The Stanford shout-down with David Lat
UPDATE: Just as this podcast was to be published, Stanford Law School Dean Jenny Martinez sent a 10-page memorandum to the law school community outlining a path forward for the school, including updating school policies to prevent future speaker disruptions and mandatory student free speech training. She also announced that Associate Dean Tirien Steinbach is on leave. – The heckling began almost as soon as Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kyle Duncan started his invited lecture at Stanford Law School on March 9. Signs in the audience read “RESPECT TRANS RIGHTS,” “FEDSUCK,” “BE PRONOUN NOT PRO-BIGOT.”  What transpired over the next 40 minutes captured national headlines and raised questions about the state of free speech at America’s law schools. David Lat writes commentary about law and the legal profession for Original Jurisdiction. Until 2019, he was an editor at the legal news website Above the Law, which he founded. Prior to his journalism career, David was a practicing lawyer. Show notes: Transcript “Yale Law is no longer #1 for free speech debacles” by David Lat “7 updates on Judge Kyle Duncan and Stanford Law” by David Lat “The full audio recording of Judge Kyle Duncan at Stanford Law” by David Lat Transcript of Stanford administrator Dean Tirien Steinbach’s remarks on March 9 at event featuring Fifth Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan Email to Stanford Law School from Dean Jenny Martinez Stanford apology letter to Judge Kyle Duncan Flyers protesting Stanford law event “​​Shouting down speakers is mob censorship” by Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff Kalven Committee: Report on the university’s role in political and social action (University of Chicago report)   www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org
Ep. 181 New York Times v. Sullivan and its future
Feb 23 2023
Ep. 181 New York Times v. Sullivan and its future
The seminal 1964 Supreme Court decision in New York Times v. Sullivan limited the ability of public officials to silence their critics by successfully suing them for defamation. Sullivan made “American public officials more accountable, the American media more watchful, and the American people better informed,” said William Rehnquist, the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But Sullivan is increasingly under attack from politicians, activists, and even sitting Justices of the Supreme Court. They believe the decision went too far, enabling the news media and others to defame others with little-to-no consequence. On today’s show, we are joined by lawyers Floyd Abrams (Cahill Gordon & Reindel), JT Morris (FIRE), and Matthew Schafer (Fordham Law) to discuss New York Times v. Sullivan and its future. Show notes: Transcript  New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964) “Two Justices Say Supreme Court Should Reconsider Landmark Libel Decision” by Adam Liptak “How to Restore Balance to Libel Law” by Glenn Reynolds Florida HB 991, the anti-Sullivan bill Matthew Schafer’s tweet thread on Florida’s HB 991 “New York Times v. Sullivan and the Forgotten Session of the US Supreme Court” by Matthew Schafer “The Most Important Supreme Court Precedent for Freedom of the Press Is in Jeopardy” by Matthew Schafer and Jeff Kosseff   www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org
Ep. 178 The costs of offending religious sensitivities
Jan 12 2023
Ep. 178 The costs of offending religious sensitivities
A faculty member at Hamline University lost her job. Twelve staffers at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were murdered. And Salman Rushdie was repeatedly stabbed. All of them offended certain people’s religious sensitivities. On today’s show, we are joined by Amna Khalid and Michael Moynihan to discuss the risks and costs of teaching, talking, writing, and creating art about religion, particularly Islam. We also discuss the recent #TwitterFiles reporting. Amna Khalid is an associate professor of history at Carleton College and host of the podcast “Banished.” Michael Moynihan is a writer, reporter, and co-host of “The Fifth Column” podcast. Show notes: TranscriptNew York Times: “A Lecturer Showed a Painting of the Prophet Muhammad. She Lost Her Job.” by Vimal Patel The offending image“Most of All, I Am Offended as a Muslim” by Amna Khalid“Hamline Student Newspaper (the Oracle) Removed Published Defense of Lecturer Who Showed Painting of Muhammad” by Eugene Volokh“We must stand up to Iran’s threats to free speech” by FIRE’s Sarah McLaughlin (reflecting on the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks)“Capsule Summaries of all Twitter Files Threads to Date, With Links and a Glossary” by Matt Taibbi www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org
Ep. 177 Are Ann Coulter’s words really ‘violence’?
Dec 21 2022
Ep. 177 Are Ann Coulter’s words really ‘violence’?
Do Ann Coulter’s words equal “violence”? Does Emerson College care more about not offending the Chinese Communist Party than protecting student free speech rights? And are faculty political litmus tests back in vogue? FIRE’s Alex Morey and Zach Greenberg join the show to discuss the latest in campus censorship. Please support this show by donating to FIRE before the end of the year: thefire.org/support Show notes: Transcript“San Diego State University: University senate adopts policy imposing DEI requirement in reappointment, tenure, and promotion review process”“University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Faculty up for promotion and tenure must submit diversity, equity, and inclusion statements, affirm university views”“‘Your words are violence!’ Cornell students shout down Ann Coulter in latest heckler’s veto to roil campuses this semester” by Amanda Nordstrom“Penn State defends canceling controversial event over ‘threats of violence,’ as police stood by during assaults on students” by Aaron Corpora“UC Davis feces-flingers lose their shit over movie screening” by James Jordan“Emerson still ‘kinda sus’ on free speech — so we’ve alerted their accreditor” by Graham Piro“Arrest of student in Boston a grim reminder of the danger facing Chinese dissidents on campus” by Sarah McLaughlin“Tennessee Tech still investigating, enforcing event ban on LGBTQ+ and theater groups that hosted drag show” by Amanda Nordstrom“Federal court distorts First Amendment, upholds Tennessee Tech’s punishment of professors for ‘Game of Thrones’ parody flyers” by Zach Greenberg www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechtalk/ Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org