Free State Project Statement Regarding Ian Freeman and Free Talk Live

The Free State Project (FSP) is a movement to get 20,000 pro-liberty activists to migrate to New Hampshire and work to limit the government’s role in society to the protection of individuals’ rights to life, liberty, and property. Two thousand participants have already moved, and 18,000 more have pledged to move within five years.

For over a decade, the radio program Free Talk Live (FTL) and its host Ian Freeman have had a marketing relationship with the FSP. Ian has convinced many people over the years of the value of libertarian ideals and of the potential for the Free State Project to achieve its mission of “Liberty in Our Lifetime.” He has likely brought more movers to New Hampshire than any other single individual. However, neither Ian Freeman nor FTL’s other hosts have ever been official spokespeople for the FSP.

In recognition of this value and in exchange for promotion, the FSP has had a long-standing agreement to provide FTL with event tickets for FTL hosts, sponsorship billing, and space to broadcast remotely during the events.

As one might expect of any group of 20,000+ people, from time to time participants have engaged in controversial behavior or espoused controversial opinions. When a media personality does this, they risk associating their sponsors and business partners with that behavior and opinion. Ian Freeman has recently done so with his statements regarding the age of consent.

The Free State Project is building a community of pro-liberty activists in New Hampshire. The FSP’s board of directors has a responsibility to this community to protect and grow the FSP’s ability to achieve this goal.

Therefore, effective immediately, the FSP will no longer provide FTL with promotional consideration and has ended the “Mutual Sponsorship” agreement. Furthermore, Ian Freeman is no longer invited to attend FSP-hosted events, including PorcFest and Liberty Forum.

Dissolving this relationship reinforces the existing reality that the FSP and FTL (and Ian’s other organizations such as Free Keene and Liberty Radio Network) are different organizations, with different missions and standards, that should not be conflated with each other. Participants in the FSP also participate in numerous other organizations, none of which are endorsed by, or speak for, the FSP.