The Public Forum Under Pressure

Do we have a free and robust public forum for ideas in America today? What has the government done to try to influence that public forum, and where does the Constitution’s protection for freedom of speech come in? Can the party in power pressure private companies, social media companies, or universities to favor its views? Do the same problems arise from private pressures to toe the party line? And what about the tensions between elites and institutions and those who feel left out of them? To try to find out the answers to those questions. I’m here with two of my colleagues at the University of Chicago – Genevieve Lakier, a Professor of Law and the Herbert and Marjorie Fried Teaching Scholar in the law school, and Anthony Fowler, the Sydney A. Stein Jr. Professor in the Harris School of Public Policy. Genevieve is an expert in constitutional law and free speech, Anthony is an expert in American politics.I brought them here to get a handle on these big questions, and as you will see, they disagree from the jump. This is an especially lively and important conversation.Have a listen.