The Witches: Salem, Massachusetts, 1692

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Stacey Schiff is a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer and author of The Witches. Her book chronicles the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts that took place in 1692. She says there are many parallels between oral culture and social media today. In fact, New England was one of the most literate communities in the history of the world.

Host Megan Phelps-Roper asks J.K. Rowling to respond to pushback from some of her critics. The two also discuss the difficulty of discernment—why it can be so hard to know what’s right.

Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.

This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org.