Guerrilla History The Battle for Free Speech w/ Michael Fox
Aug 6, 2026
Michael Fox, Brazil-based journalist and podcast producer who reports on Brazil, free speech, and resistance. He introduces his series The Battle for Free Speech. Conversations probe competing definitions of free speech, how absolutist rhetoric benefits the powerful, Big Tech’s role in shaping visibility, and modern tools—like AI—used to fabricate evidence and justify repression.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
A Conversation Revealed An Absolutist Free Speech View
- Michael recounts a U.S. solidarity activist defending Glenn Greenwald as simply standing up for free speech.
- That exchange revealed an absolutist view: everyone should be allowed to say anything, regardless of political consequences.
Definitions Of Free Speech Affect Who Keeps Power
- Different definitions of free speech produced divergent political results in the U.S. and Brazil.
- Fox notes Bolsonaro was barred from office under Brazil's balancing-rights approach, unlike Trump in the U.S.
Center Fearless Speech That Confronts Power
- Re-examine the kind of speech you protect: prioritize fearless speech that challenges power over reckless speech that amplifies the powerful.
- Michael and Marianne Franks suggest centering speech that holds elites accountable, not hate-group propaganda.
