So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 145 First Amendment history with Yale Professor Akhil Amar Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

September 25 was First Amendment Day in America — the anniversary of the date in 1789 when Congress approved 12 amendments to our Constitution, including what we today call the Bill of Rights.

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we discuss the origin story and history of America's First Amendment and its five freedoms.

To do so, host Nico Perrino is joined by Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University Akhil Reed Amar. Amar is the author of "The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840" and the host of the podcast "Amarica's Constitution."

Show notes:

Transcript
"The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840" by Akhil Reed Amar
"The First Amendment's Firstness" by Akhil Reed Amar
"How America's Constitution Affirmed Freedom of Speech Even Before the First Amendment" by Akhil Reed Amar

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Ep. 144 Matt Taibbi, Nadine Strossen, and Amna Khalid respond to 'On the Media' free speech critiques Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Last month, On the Media, a popular radio program from New York City's WNYC, aired an episode that questioned free speech values and challenged so-called "free speech absolutism."

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Matt Taibbi, Nadine Strossen, and Amna Khalid, who provide direct responses to many of the free speech critiques made in On the Media's program.

Show notes:

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Ep. 143 Politics and thought reform in K-12 education Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

Are America's schools becoming too political?

FIRE's Director of High School Programs argues, "Yes." Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder is an educator with over 20 years of experience, and she's worried by what she sees.

Amidst controversies surrounding so-called critical race theory, school walkouts, and standardized tests, Snyder increasingly hears reports of children "being indoctrinated, bullied, and harassed by their fellow students and teachers for not falling into line on various topics."

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we discuss Snyder's new book, "Undoctrinate: How Politicized Classrooms Harm Kids and Ruin Our Schools—And What We Can Do About It."

Show notes:

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Ep. 142 Alfred Hitchcock and Hollywood's Production Code Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

Hollywood's Motion Picture Production Code, popularly referred to as the Hays Code, loomed over films in every stage of movie production from 1934 to 1968. Scripts were reviewed and altered. Actors and filmmakers were forced to redo entire scenes. Editors were asked to cut dialogue and scenes from films. Music was changed. Ultimately, directors had to be cognizant of the censors at all times.

In this episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we interview three prominent guests to track the history of film censorship and the eventual demise of the Hays Code.

John Billheimer, author of "Hitchcock and the Censors (Screen Classics)," explains Alfred Hitchcock's unique methods for dealing with controversial subject matter.

Laura Wittern-Keller is a professor in the History department at the University at Albany and author of several books on film censorship, including "Freedom of the Screen: Legal Challenges to State Film Censorship, 1915-1981" and "The Miracle Case: Film Censorship and the Supreme Court."

Bob Corn-Revere, partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, is a frequent guest on the show. His forthcoming book "The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder: The First Amendment and the Censor's Dilemma," is due out in October.

Show notes:

Transcript
Mutual Film Corp. v. Industrial Comm'n of Ohio
Joseph Burstyn v. Wilson
United States v. Paramount Pictures
Hitchcock and the Censors (Screen Classics) by John Billheimer
Freedom of the Screen: Legal Challenges to State Film Censorship, 1915-1981 by Laura Wittern-Keller
The Miracle Case: Film Censorship and the Supreme Court by Laura Wittern-Keller
The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder: The First Amendment and the Censor's Dilemma by Bob Corn-Revere
Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I. Breen and the Production Code Administration by Thomas Doherty

Ep. 141 Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

Morris Ernst may be the most influential free speech lawyer you've never heard of. He was the longtime general counsel for the ACLU, helped found the National Lawyers Guild, and just about single-handedly whittled away at obscenity laws in the United States — even litigating the famous "Ulysses" case, which overturned a 13-year ban on James' Joyce's renowned novel.

But he was an enigma: A staunch anti-communist and sometimes red-baiter, a close confidant of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, an unofficial PR agent for the FBI, and, later in his life, a crusader against the relative sexual permissiveness of the 1960s and '70s.

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by University at Buffalo School of Law Professor Samantha Barbas to discuss her new book, "The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade."

Show notes:

Transcript
"The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade" by Samantha Barbas

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Ep. 140 Free speech, psychology, and madness Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Stetson University Professor of Psychology Christopher J. Ferguson for a wide-ranging conversation about the psychology of censorship, the role of madness and eccentricity in shaping history, the effects of social media, the growing polarization and politicization of modern institutions, including academia, and more.

Ferguson is the author of the new book "How Madness Shaped History: An Eccentric Array of Maniacal Rulers, Raving Narcissists, and Psychotic Visionaries." He also co-authored "Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games is Wrong," which was the subject of a past So to Speak episode.

Show notes:

Transcript
"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
"Repressive Tolerance" by Herbert Marcuse
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Cass Sunstein

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Ep. 139 Mahanoy v. B.L. Supreme Court ruling analysis Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

This week, the United States Supreme Court vindicated the First Amendment rights of a high school cheerleader who was punished for a salty Snapchat she sent outside of school. It was a resounding victory for free speech advocates and the first time the Supreme Court has considered a high school free speech case since its disappointing 2007 ruling in Morse v. Frederick.

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we analyze the Supreme Court's ruling in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. with FIRE Legal Director Will Creeley and FIRE Legal Fellow David Hudson.

Show notes:

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Photo by Danna Singer/Provided by the ACLU

Ep. 138 A history of Western censorship with Eric Berkowitz Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Socrates' fateful hemlock. Henry VIII's death decree for those who imagined his downfall. The 1836 "Gag Rule" banning slavery discussions in Congress. Britain's early ban on films criticizing Hitler and Stalin.

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by lawyer and writer Eric Berkowitz to discuss his fascinating new book, "Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News."

Berkowitz's "Dangerous Ideas" is a comprehensive and insightful adventure through time to examine censorship's origins and trends.

Also joining the conversation is FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff.

Show notes:

Transcript
Washington Post: "Secret Consortium to Publish Rushdie in Paperback"

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Ep. 137 The Constitution of Knowledge with Jonathan Rauch Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

What differentiates Albert Einstein from a madman? How do we turn disagreement into knowledge? How do we know what's true in a world filled with disinformation, conspiracy theories, trolling, and social media pile-ons?

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch to discuss his new book "The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth," which is set for release on June 22, 2021.

Also joining the conversation is FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff.

Show notes:

Transcript
"The Constitution of Knowledge" by Jonathan Rauch
"Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought" by Jonathan Rauch
"The Coddling of the American Mind" by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

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Ep. 136 Comic book panic! May 20, 2021

Show notes

Rebellion! Crime! Juvenile delinquency!

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, producer Chris Maltby explores the rise of comic books in the early 20th century and the moral panic, book burnings, and censorship that followed.

Show notes:

"The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare And How It Changed America" by David Hajdu
"The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder" by Bob Corn-Revere
"A National Disgrace" by Sterling North
"Puddles of Blood," Time Magazine, 1948
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

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