So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

In discussions about free speech issues, you’ll often hear people say something to the effect of, “I disapprove of what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” The quote is typically misattributed to the French Enlightenment thinker Voltaire. But proper crediting aside, the sentiment it expresses accurately reflects how many free speech advocates go about their work—including Glenn Greenwald. Greenwald is best known as one of the journalists who coordinated the 2013 National Security Agency revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden. But before he became an award-winning journalist, he was a lawyer. And not just any lawyer: a First Amendment lawyer who, as a gay man of Jewish descent, defended the First Amendment rights of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists. This episode kicks off a two-part series on the topic of “defending my enemy” that will explore why people who vehemently oppose certain ideas nonetheless staunchly defend the right of others to express them. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

In 1993, a young Jonathan Rauch published “Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought.” It was his response to what he saw as the West’s lackluster and apologetic defense of the novelist Salman Rushdie’s free speech rights. Since its publication, “Kindly Inquisitors” has never gone out of print and has been described by Foundation for Individual Rights in Education President & CEO Greg Lukianoff as the best modern defense of free speech and by “The Washington Post” columnist George Will as “slender and sharp as a stiletto.” In this episode, Nico Perrino sits down with Jonathan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, to talk about his book and its impassioned moral (not legal!) defense of liberal inquiry and criticism. They also discuss the role that free speech played in the gay rights movement, the life story of Frank Kameny, the state of free expression at Jonathan’s alma mater (Yale University), and the heroism of Danish newspaperman Flemming Rose. Nico also chats with Greg about FIRE’s recent work at Williams College and what happened during Greg’s first meeting with Jonathan (hint: it involved comic book superheros). Don’t forget to subscribe and rate this podcast! Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

"So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast" takes an uncensored look at the world of free expression through personal stories and candid conversations. Tune in on May 5 for the first episode of "So to Speak," featuring Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch and Foundation for Individual Rights in Education President & CEO Greg Lukianoff.