Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
In a climate of tumultuous politics and tense culture wars, Free Speech remains a subject of fierce debate in the United States. From rural towns to sprawling cities, nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century, the 232-year-old First Amendment faces new challenges, including political violence, distrust of media and other institutions, the spread of misinformation and disinformation, hate speech, and blunt censorship. There appears to be no end in sight to the divisiveness and turmoil. Is there a Free Speech crisis in America, or is a deeply divided country the sign of a healthy democracy? How can we address these issues while safeguarding our democratic values?
Featured:
Jane Kirtley, the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, is also an affiliated faculty member at the University of Minnesota Law School. She was previously executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, DC, and has been a Fulbright Scholar teaching U.S. media law and ethics at the University of Latvia’s Law Faculty in Riga.
David Schultz is Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Legal Studies at Hamline University. He is also a professor of law at the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas and an adjunct professor at Binghamton University. A four-time Fulbright scholar who has taught extensively in Europe and Asia, and the winner of the Whittington national award for excellence in public affairs teaching, Schultz is the author of more than 45 books and 200+ articles on American politics, election law, and the media and politics.
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), president emeritus of Goucher College, is director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, which documents challenges to free expression in American education, government, and civil society. Director of the Voice of America under President Bill Clinton, he was also dean of the American University School of Communication and is a former co-host of “All Things Considered” on NPR. Ungar is a former correspondent for The Washington Post.
Recorded Sept. 18, 2023
In a climate of tumultuous politics and tense culture wars, Free Speech remains a subject of fierce debate in the United States. From rural towns to sprawling cities, nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century, the 232-year-old First Amendment faces new challenges, including political violence, distrust of media and other institutions, the spread of misinformation and disinformation, hate speech, and blunt censorship. There appears to be no end in sight to the divisiveness and turmoil. Is there a Free Speech crisis in America, or is a deeply divided country the sign of a healthy democracy? How can we address these issues while safeguarding our democratic values?
Featured:
Jane Kirtley, the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, is also an affiliated faculty member at the University of Minnesota Law School. She was previously executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, DC, and has been a Fulbright Scholar teaching U.S. media law and ethics at the University of Latvia’s Law Faculty in Riga.
David Schultz is Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Legal Studies at Hamline University. He is also a professor of law at the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas and an adjunct professor at Binghamton University. A four-time Fulbright scholar who has taught extensively in Europe and Asia, and the winner of the Whittington national award for excellence in public affairs teaching, Schultz is the author of more than 45 books and 200+ articles on American politics, election law, and the media and politics.
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), president emeritus of Goucher College, is director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, which documents challenges to free expression in American education, government, and civil society. Director of the Voice of America under President Bill Clinton, he was also dean of the American University School of Communication and is a former co-host of “All Things Considered” on NPR. Ungar is a former correspondent for The Washington Post.
Recorded Sept. 18, 2023
