Responding to "On the Media" on Free Speech: FIRE's "So to Speak" Podcast
Along with former ACLU president Nadine Strossen, Carleton professor Amna Khalid, and "Mighty Ira" producer/co-director Nico Perrino, a response to a recent WNYC segment on "free speech absolutism"
A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece on a remarkably one-sided On the Media segment about the evils of so-called “free speech absolutism.” Filled with advocates for speech restrictions, and lacking any voices defending traditional speech rights, the program’s goals seemed to range from reminding listeners that John Stuart Mill is not only old and dead but wrong, to redefining “harm” as the central issue in speech debates.
By way of response, the Foundation of Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, convened a panel for its “So To Speak” podcast that looked at On The Media’s arguments from the perspective of traditional speech advocacy.
It was a terrific group that included Nadine Strossen, who for 17 years was the president of the ACLU, Carleton College History professor and host of the “Banished” podcast Amna Khalid, and FIRE’s own Nico Perrino, who produced and co-directed the excellent documentary Mighty Ira, which I reviewed earlier this year.
Thanks to Nadine and Amna for a great discussion, and thanks especially to Nico for putting the segment together. I hope TK readers enjoy it.
Liberals are still suffering from PTSD over Trump's victory over Clinton. Their disdain for people holding differing opinions is almost complete - they consider those people sub-human, incapable of reason, and easily manipulated by the free speech they fear.
I always had huge respect for Nadine Strossen, an old school civil libertarian. I wonder what she honestly thinks has become of her organization, which now advocates for kangaroo courts for college sexual misconduct cases and mandatory vaccination. It is an absolute farce to call it a civil liberties organization now.