The fight for free speech has many stories. That’s why FIRE is proud to launch a new free speech podcast, So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, in which we will take an uncensored look at the world of free expression through personal stories and candid conversations.

This morning, we released the first of our bi-weekly episodes, featuring our own President & CEO Greg Lukianoff and long-time FIRE friend and Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch.



New episodes of So to Speak will be posted every other Thursday morning.

In 1993, a young 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. In this inaugural episode, Rauch talks about his book and its impassioned moral (not legal!) defense of liberal inquiry and criticism. You’ll also hear the inside scoop from Greg on his and Rauch’s first meeting. (Hint: It involved comic book superheroes.)

In future episodes, we’ll explore the concept of “defending my enemy” with award-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald and criminal defense attorney David P. Baugh.

Listeners can expect a variety of show formats throughout the series, including interviews, narrative features, news shows, and the occasional speech.



You can subscribe and listen to So to Speak on iTunes and Stitcher, or download episodes directly from SoundCloud. You can also read a transcript of the interview.

If you enjoy the show, please consider rating us on iTunes and Stitcher. Subscribing to and rating the show is one of the easiest ways to help FIRE get more listeners for the show and the free speech message.

All things So to Speak can be found at sotospeakpodcast.com and on the show’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Have questions? Ideas for future shows? Email us at sotospeak@thefire.org.