Ep. 272: FIRE Monthly Member Webinar - May 2026

In this month's FIRE Monthly Member Webinar, hosted by So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, FIRE leadership—Greg Lukianoff, Alicia Glennon, and Will Creeley—discuss pressing free speech issues across campuses and beyond. The conversation begins with a deep dive into campus disruptions, particularly student-led shoutdowns of controversial speakers, with Greg Lukianoff condemning such actions as authoritarian and calling for institutional accountability. The panel highlights the case at UCLA Law School, where students disrupted a DHS speaker, and critiques the university’s response, including its warning to student organizers about being named—a move FIRE deems a First Amendment violation. The discussion expands to broader threats to free expression, including government regulation of AI, with Greg warning of 'algorithmic discrimination laws' that could enable state control over truth and knowledge. Will Creeley addresses doxing, arguing that sharing public information is protected speech, even when used maliciously, and that the real harm lies in the misuse, not the disclosure. The team also explores emerging threats like age verification mandates and government funding conditions that restrict speech. A heartwarming moment comes when FIRE shares a donation from Middlebury College Democrats and Republicans, who jointly support free speech and use their award to fund FIRE. The episode closes with a call to action for listeners to attend FIRE’s upcoming Soapbox conference in November and to join the organization as members.