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 surveys
07:49 Freedom of expression deteriorating
11:43 Misinformation and disinformation
18:05 Russian state-sponsored media
24:55 Europe’s Digital Services Act
29:26 Chinese censorship
34:33 Radio Free Europe
54:57 Mohammad cartoons
01:04:14 Outro
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Show notes:
– Authoritarians in the academy: How the
internationalization of higher education and borderless censorship
threaten free speech Sarah McLaughlin (2025)
– “The
First Amendment created gay America” So to Speak (2022)
– “Secret city: The hidden history of gay
Washington” James Kirchick (2022)
– “Who
in the world supports free speech?” The Future of Free
Speech (2025)
– “V-DEM
democracy report 2025: 25 years of autocratization — democracy
trumped?” V-Dem Institute (2025)
– Global
risks report 2024 World Economic Forum (2025)
– “Gay reporter kicked
off Kremlin network after protesting anti-gay law”
Washington Free Beacon (2013)
–
Free speech: A history from Socrates to social media
(paperback) Jacob Mchangama (2025)
–
Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) (2022)
–
Careless people: A cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost
idealism Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025)
– “The
Voice of America falls silent” The New York Times
(2025)
–
Text of Havel’s speech to Congress The Washington Post
(1990)
–
Voice of America wins in court, for now, as judge blocks Trump
administration from firing staff AP News (2025)