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Should free speech be protected even when the ideas and viewpoints that are brought forth are seen as offensive by some?

Does freedom of speech extend to misinformation shared through social media or other platforms?

Should free speech protect blasphemy or hate speech?

These are the questions that author and speaker Jacob Mchangama has spent much of his time thinking about, and he explores these topics and more in this episode of Watching America with host Alan Campbell.

jacob mchangama

Mchangama is the author of Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media and producer & narrator of the podcast Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech.

He has written and commented extensively on free speech and human rights in international media outlets including the Economist, Washington Post, BBC, CBS News, NPR, CNN, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal and Politico as well as academic and peer-reviewed journals.


In his extensively researched book, Mchangama traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of free speech—a principle often hailed as the “first freedom” and seen as the bedrock of democracy. Through captivating stories of free speech’s many defenders, Mchangama reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. He also explores the ways in which attempts to restrict freedom of speech have been a constant threat through history—and how they manifest today.

“Free speech might actually be one of the most powerful engines of equality that human beings have ever stumbled upon,” Mchangama explains.

book free speech

Yet he also believes one must be careful when trying to limit free speech with the goal of protecting that equality.

“You play a dangerous game when you want to limit free speech in order to protect minorities,” he explains, “because then, those who are protected by laws restricting free speech are only ever a political majority away from being the target rather than the beneficiary.”

Mchangama is also the founder and executive director of the Danish think tank Justitia. The organization aims to promote the rule of law and fundamental human rights and freedom rights both within Denmark and abroad by educating and influencing policy experts, decision-makers, and the public. Learn more at the Justitia website.

You can follow the author at his website or on Twitter

Listen to the full conversation.


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