In this episode of Atlas Network with Michael Carnuccio, Jacob Mchangama, founder of The Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University, discusses the current global recession of protections for free speech. Despite the United States’ historic role as a bastion of free speech, increasing censorship and political polarization now threaten its robustness. Mchangama highlights how […]
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 […]
Natalie Alkiviadou is a senior researcher at The Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University (USA). Her research interests include free speech, hate speech and the far right. Her monograph Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights was recently published by Routledge. She is currently a member of the advisory board of the […]
This panel discussion, held on October 6, 2025, explored Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights, the recent book by Natalie Alkiviadou (Book Review here). The book examines the Court’s approach to hate speech and argues for a stronger and more consistent protection of freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European […]
The fastest way to make a book a bestseller? Ban it. Free speech activist Jacob Mchangama explains how oftentimes, attempts to silence ideas actually amplify them. Historian Jacob Mchangama explains how suppressing voices often has the opposite effect. From the crucifixion of Jesus fueling Christianity to Barbra Streisand accidentally amplifying photos of her Malibu mansion, […]
In this episode of The Good Fight Club, recorded live from the 2025 Global Free Speech Summit, Yascha Mounk, Renée DiResta, Jacob Mchangama, and Jonathan Rauch discuss threats to free speech under Joe Biden vs Donald Trump, how to protect free speech, and the administration’s new compact for universities. Renée DiResta is an Associate Research […]
Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of several cartoons of the supposed Prophet Muhammad by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten (see also our latest image of the week). I spoke with Danish free speech activist and author of Free Speech: A Global History from Socrates to Social Media (2022) Jacob Mchangama about that controversy […]
Free speech may be messy, but censorship is deadly. Founder of The Future of Free Speech Jacob Mchangama explains. America’s real danger isn’t free speech. It’s silence. Founder of The Future of Free Speech Jacob Mchangama argues that free speech is not a threat but society’s strongest safeguard against violence. Suppressing expression creates a pressure […]
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 […]
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 […]