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

The Good Fight Podcast: Jacob Mchangama on Free Speech

Host Yascha Mounk and Jacob Mchangama explore the different approaches—and proliferating threats—to free expression. Jacob Mchangama is the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech, a research professor at Vanderbilt University, and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). His book Free Speech: A History From Socrates to […]

State of the Net 2025: The Frontiers For Free Speech In The Trump Era: The Content Moderator’s Dilemma

From the State of the Net Conference hosted by the Internet Education Foundation. Jacob Mchangama discusses the relationship between government, Big Tech content moderation, and free speech online—drawing on Europe’s regulatory approach to bring much-needed global context to the conversation.

Free Speech Unmuted Podcast: Free Speech in European (and Other) Democracies

Watch:  Listen: How does European free speech law differ from American free speech law, when it comes to “hate speech,” blasphemy, and misinformation? Jane Bambauer and Eugene Volokh welcome Jacob Mchangama, who is CEO of The Future of Free Speech; research professor of political science at Vanderbilt; the author of Free Speech: A History […]

Silha Lecture: The Free Speech Recession And How to Reverse It: Five Lessons From History

At the 39th annual Silha Lecture, Jacob Mchangama delves into the ongoing debates over speech restrictions, revealing how they mirror arguments of the past. Through five key lessons from history, he unpacks the complexities of free speech in the digital age, offering a nuanced perspective on the challenges we face today. Here are some excerpts […]

Jacob Mchangama on Undercurrents: Elon Musk is a Free Speech Hypocrite

Jacob Mchangama joins Emily Jashinsky on UnHerd’s Undercurrents to discuss Elon Musk’s inconsistent record on free speech since acquiring Twitter (now known as X). Mchangama recognizes that Musk has taken notable steps to champion free expression, such as reinstating controversial figures on the platform, vocally criticizing European digital regulations, and resisting censorship attempts by Brazilian […]

Stanford Publius Symposium with Jacob Mchangama: Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media

On April 23, 2024, Jacob Mchangama gave the Publius Lecture at Stanford University Law School. Hailed as the “first freedom,” free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat. In […]

Inside Sources: Jacob Mchangama: Changing U.S. Free Speech Regulation is Not What it is Chalked Up to Be

Is free speech truly hindering us, or is it one of our most vital democratic safeguards? There is growing pessimism towards the First Amendment and a call to mimic European-style speech regulations. But Jacob Mchangama from The Future of Free Speech warns that this could open the door to disturbing censorship. This debate strikes at […]

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 […]

Vanderbilt Law Dean’s Lecture Series: Jacob Mchangama Discusses Free Speech and Equality

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Community, in partnership with the Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic, hosted the last Dean’s Lecture Series on Race and Discrimination for the year in mid-April. The Lecture, “Free Speech and Equality: Friends or Foes?”, was delivered by Jacob Mchangama, research professor of political science in the College of Arts and Science, CEO of Justitia, […]