The Death of Debate: How Power Is Killing Free Speech in America

March 30, 2025 1 min read

John Avlon and Greg Lukianoff
How to Fix It with John Avlon, The Bulwark

Excerpt: What happens when universities stop defending debate—and politicians start punishing dissent? John Avlon interviews Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind. They unpack the escalating war over free speech—from college campuses to the courtroom—and explore how institutions meant to protect liberty are now leading the charge to suppress it.

Click here for link to full episode


Leave a comment


Also in National Free Speech News & Commentary

The Rise of Civics Centers at America’s Universities
The Rise of Civics Centers at America’s Universities

December 18, 2025 4 min read

There is a growth sector in American higher education. The number of “Civics Centers” has exploded in the last decade, and especially since 2021. 

What are these civics centers, and what explains their proliferation now? 

Heterodox Academy (HxA), the leading non-partisan higher education reform organization in the US for faculty, staff and students, championing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement, has decided to provide some answers.

Read More
Demagogy or Pedagogy? A Better Way to Approach Antisemitism on Campus
Demagogy or Pedagogy? A Better Way to Approach Antisemitism on Campus

December 18, 2025 1 min read

In February of this year, a few colleagues and I co-founded a group called Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff (CJFS), which now has more than 200 members on more than two dozen campuses. Our group, which is predominantly made up of academics at Massachusetts colleges and universities but includes members from across New England, is one of several such efforts nationwide that have coalesced into a new National Campus Jewish Alliance. 

We recognize that Jewish safety is inseparable from the safety of all people, and we work to foster academic environments that reduce antisemitism by treating educators as partners, not as suspects.

Read More
Snapshots of Censorship: ‘It’s Only 3 or 4 Words’
Snapshots of Censorship: ‘It’s Only 3 or 4 Words’

December 18, 2025 1 min read

Read More