The Battle For Free Speech

On the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration—January 20, 2025—the heads of many of Silicon Valley’s most powerful tech firms sat in the rows just behind Trump. It was a sign of Trump’s deep ties to the industry and to these powerful individuals who are transforming how we communicate, and not for the better.  In this episode, Michael Fox visits Silicon Valley to try to understand the stranglehold that tech has over our media and our airwaves. Hosts Michael Fox and Marc Steiner dig into the ways media consolidation, social media, and AI are strangling our free speech, even as they claim to be liberating it—and us—with incredible insight from professors Todd Wolfson, Mary Anne Franks, Fara Dabhoiwala, Ramesh Srinivasan, and Jeff Cohen, the founder of the organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, FAIR.The Battle for Free Speech is a production of The Real News Network.Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox, Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara and Heather Gies. Research by Ben Schweiger.Guests: Todd WolfsonMary Anne FranksFara DabhoiwalaJeff CohenRamesh SrinivasanResources: Mary Anne Franks’ book, Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First AmendmentFara Dabhoiwala’s book, What Is Free Speech?: The History of a Dangerous IdeaTodd Wolfson’s Digital Rebellion: The Birth of the Cyber Left Marc Steiner’s Interview with Jeff Cohen, "How Democrats set the stage for Trump’s assault on free speech”You can hear Ramesh Srinivasan’s Utopias Podcast here, or wherever you get your podcastsFollow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletter and never miss an episodeFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetwork

Free speech in America was never given — it was fought for, bled for, and died for. In this episode, hosts Marc Steiner and Michael Fox dive into the history of the movements that built and defended the right to speak out: the abolitionists who continued to speak — even as mobs attacked the building where they gathered — Ida B. Wells, who exposed the truth about lynching in Jim Crow Memphis, and the students at UC Berkeley who launched the Free Speech Movement of 1964.Michael takes us to Sproul Plaza, ground zero of the Berkeley free speech movement, and Marc shares his own story of carrying that fight from the civil rights movement to campuses on the East Coast. Together they trace a brutal pattern that runs from Elijah Lovejoy — the abolitionist editor murdered by a mob in 1837 — to the burning of Pennsylvania Hall, to today's crackdowns on student protest and the firing of professors for their political views.Featuring law professor Mary Anne Franks, author of Fearless Speech, on the crucial difference between fearless speech and reckless speech — and why America has so often protected the wrong one. Plus UC Berkeley historian David Hollinger on why universities are "the hill to die on," and Princeton historian Fara Dabhoiwala on why free speech has always been a battle over power.This is the second episode of The Battle for Free Speech. In this podcast series, in the lead-up to the country’s 250th anniversary, journalists Michael Fox and Marc Steiner look at the battle for our free speech rights today, and the attacks on people speaking out in the United States.The Battle for Free Speech is a production of The Real News Network.Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox, Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara and Heather Gies. Research by Ben Schweiger.Guests: David HollingerMary Anne FranksFara DabhoiwalaResources: Mary Anne Franks’ book, Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First AmendmentFara Dabhoiwala’s book, What Is Free Speech?: The History of a Dangerous IdeaDavid Hollinger’s book, Christianity’s American Fate: How Religion Became More Conservative and Society More Secular The full KPFA documentary about the Free Speech movement: Voices of Independence – The Free Speech Movement: Sounds & Songs of DemonstrationsSupport KPFA here: https://support.kpfa.org/Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletter and never miss an episodeFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetwork

Mahmoud Khalil was detained and arrested at his Manhattan apartment. The video is chilling. Plainclothes agents are there. They refuse to give their names. He’s handcuffed and shoved into the back of a car. His wife — eight months pregnant — watches and tries to understand what’s happening.This is not a scene from some dark chapter of a distant past filled with black-and-white photos of bygone dictatorships. This happened here, in the United States of America, in 2025.In this podcast series, in the lead-up to the country’s 250th anniversary, journalists Michael Fox and Marc Steiner look at the battle for our free speech rights today, and attacks on people speaking out in the United States.Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox, Jordan Klein, and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank.  Editorial support by: Kayla Rivara and Heather Gies. Research by Ben Schweiger.Guests: Lisa Femia, Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier FoundationCorinna Mullin, CUNY professorDavid Rubin, Staff Attorney, Foundation for Individual Rights and ExpressionAllen Chaney, Legal Director, ACLU - South CarolinaResources: The Charlie Kirk purge: How 600 Americans were punished in a pro-Trump crackdown  Clemson Settles With Professor Fired for Kirk CommentsRetired police officer jailed over Charlie Kirk post settles lawsuit for more than $800K The war on our sightFollow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletter and never miss an episodeFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetwork

This year, the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. But there’s a problem. Our most basic freedom — the freedom of speech — is under attack. In this immersive series, hosts Marc Steiner and Michael Fox take you on a journey to look at the threats to free speech, from Trump to Silicon Valley. They look at the history of the fight for free speech and the battle being waged over it today, within the United States and abroad.Marc Steiner is the host of the Marc Steiner Show and a longtime community organizer and activist. Michael Fox is the host of the podcasts Under the Shadow and Stories of Resistance.The Battle for Free Speech is brought to you by The Real News Network.Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSign up for our newsletter and never miss an episodeFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetwork