The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie: The Global War on Free Speech

Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff are co-authors of The Future of Free Speech, a new book examining what they describe as a global “free speech recession.” In this episode, Mchangama and Kosseff talk with Nick Gillespie about why democracies are increasingly embracing speech restrictions once associated with authoritarian regimes, how fears about misinformation and child […]

Life Elsewhere: Is Free Speech Under Siege? Secrets Of A Classic Pastime

The Future of Free Speech confronts a stark truth: the right to speak freely is under siege. Once celebrated as a cornerstone of democratic societies, free expression is now met with growing suspicion and retaliation across the globe. Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff present a panoramic view of how we arrived at this pivotal moment. […]

Lawfare Podcast: Scaling Laws: AI Chatbots and the Future of Free Expression

Renée DiResta, Lawfare contributing editor and associate research professor at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy, and Alan Z. Rozenshtein, Lawfare senior editor and associate professor of law the University of Minnesota, spoke with Jacob Mchangama, research professor of political science at Vanderbilt University and founder of The Future of Free Speech, and Jacob Shapiro, […]

Big Think: Even AI Is Self-Censoring. Here’s Why That Matters

If the people controlling AI are biased, the output will also be. Free speech scholar Jacob Mchangama makes the case for completely open-source AI. Free speech scholar Jacob Mchangama warns that AI’s growing role in search, email, and word processing means its hidden biases could shape freedom of thought itself. With his team at the […]

American Enterprise Institute Webinar: Policing the Public Interest and Broadcast Content at Today’s FCC

On October 8, AEI hosted a web event to discuss the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) tactics under Chairman Brendan Carr. AEI Senior Fellow Shane Tews kicked off the event with opening remarks. Clay Calvert, a senior fellow at AEI, followed with a review of some of the actions taken and statements made by Chairman Carr […]

Big Think: True Free Speech, Explained in 6 Minutes

Free speech can amplify hatred, but it also protects the fight against it. Founder of The Future of Free Speech Jacob Mchangama explains. Jacob Mchangama, founder of The Future of Free Speech, explains how free speech has shaped America, from Frederick Douglass fighting slavery to Supreme Court cases protecting voices that promote hate. He argues […]

CTRL-ALT-SPEECH: Live at TrustCon 2025

Trust & safety influencer Alice Hunsberger and The Future of Free Speech Senior Legal Fellow Ashkhen Kazaryan joined Mike Masnick to cover: As millions adopt Grok to fact-check, misinformation abounds (Al Jazeera) Analysis Of Grok’s Epstein Comments Show How This AI Chatbot Is Learning (Forbes) People With Body Dysmorphia Are Spiraling Out After Asking AI to Rate […]

So To Speak Podcast: Is There A Global Free Speech Recession?

Jacob Mchangama joins the So To Speak Podcast as host and guests travel from America to Europe, Russia, China, and more places to answer the question: Is there a global free speech recession? Host: Nico Perrino, FIRE Executive Vice President Guests: – Sarah McLaughlin: FIRE senior scholar, global expression – James Kirchick: FIRE senior fellow

So To Speak: Political violence and speech

Did overheated political rhetoric lead to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump? On this episode of the So To Speak podcast, host Nico Perrino and his guests explore political violence: its history, its causes, and its relationship with free speech. Flemming Rose is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He previously served […]

NPR 1A: Parsing The Pro-Palestinian Protests on Campuses Across the Country

Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have sprung up on college campuses across the country. Hundreds of students and professors have been arrested. Calls for universities to end their ties to Israel and for the U.S. to negotiate a ceasefire are growing. We check in on the protests across the country and what they tell us about how equipped colleges […]