Speaking Freely with Sanford Ungar

This week from The Free Speech Project at Georgetown University: the final episode of a four-part Speaking Freely podcast series concerning Free Speech issues during 2020. We look at the effect of misinformation as COVID-19 spreads across the country. How should social media balance Free Speech with the need for truthful speech during a pandemic? Music used in this podcast is from the artist Broke for Free and licensed under the creative commons.

The third episode examines the objections that some religious communities have raised to lockdown orders imposed by state and local governments. We speak with NPR religion correspondent Tom Gjelten, Notre Dame sociologist Kraig Beyerlein, and lawyer Steve Crampton from the Thomas More Society. Crampton represented a Mississippi church burned down by a suspected arsonist after it violated its city stay-at-home guidelines. Music used in this podcast is from the artist Broke for Free and licensed under the creative commons.

In part two of our series, we turn to workers who have been deemed “essential” to keeping the economy running during the pandemic. Some essential workers worried about working while the virus was spreading and have spoken out about working conditions, including the lack of social distancing and safety equipment, such as masks. Some have faced retaliation, bringing into question whether they should be free to speak even as the country battles a pandemic that is causing widespread deaths. Music used in this podcast is from the artist Broke for Free and licensed under the creative commons

In this final episode, we talk about technology. Over the past decade, tech -- and especially social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter -- have become a key tool for political organizers. Social media companies had a problem they needed to solve quickly - what should they do with misinformation or disinformation posted on their platforms? With COVID-19 spreading, the stakes were life and death.

In the early months of 2020, many public places of gathering, such as schools, movie theaters, and churches, began to shut down in response to the outbreak of the pandemic in the United States. In towns across the country, the shuttering of churches proved to be an especially heated decision, and many took to the courts to fight what they saw as encroachment by the federal government. In this episode, we examine how people and governments struggled to balance both sides of the issue.

In part two of our series, we turn to workers who have been deemed “essential” during the pandemic. When the novel coronavirus began spreading in early 2020, workers most critical to keeping the economy running were deemed “essential” by state and federal governments. As many started to voice their concerns over hazardous work environments, some faced retaliation and even termination of employment for expressing their views.

Today, in the first episode of this series, we look at two contrasting waves of protest that dominated the news beginning in the spring of 2020, and look at how people affected by the pandemic balanced individual versus community rights.

From face masks to Facebook posts, Free Speech plays an important role in how we navigate the novel coronavirus pandemic. Join us for this four part series as we examine the intersection of societal restrictions and individual expression.

Listen to her interview with FSP Program Director Sanford Ungar

And who, or what, will lead us?

Crackdowns on the free press. Journalists murdered by the state. Increasing distrust in media-related institutions. How did we get here?

What checks are currently in place to protect whistleblowers in the press?

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, interviews State Senator Scott Martin, who represents the 13th District of Pennsylvania (Lancaster County). They discuss Scott's proposed bill that would hold protesters who are convicted of certain crimes financially responsible for the costs associated with their protest. This interview was recorded on May 14, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses the crossroads of identity politics and Free Speech with Eugene Scott, Political Reporter for The Washington Post. This interview was recorded on April 20, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses Free Speech from a cross-cultural prospective with Ronald Krotoszynski, professor of law at the University of Alabama. This interview was recorded on January 19, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses digital privacy for young people with attorney Brad Shear, founder of Digital Armour. This interview was recorded on January 24, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, discusses the Free Speech rights of the 2.3 million incarcerated Americans, with Marc Howard, professor of government and law at Georgetown, and prisoner rights advocate Vince Greco. This interview was recorded on February 22, 2018.

Sanford Ungar discusses the complexities and controversies surrounding the invitation of speakers to college campuses with Aaron Hanlon, assistant professor of English at Colby College. This interview was recorded on April 20, 2018.

Sanford Ungar discusses the Free Speech rights of internet users and the moderation of online content with Emma Llansó, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. This interview was recorded on April 23, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, discusses the invitation of inflammatory speakers to college campuses with Zach Wood from “Uncomfortable Learning” at Williams College. This interview was recorded on March 26, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses Free Speech issues on college and university campuses with Anita Levy of the American Association of University Professors. Interview recorded December 4, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, discusses campus speech issues and state legislation with Joe Cohn from FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Interview recorded October 2, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, discusses issues of Free Speech and privacy in the internet age, with Cindy Cohn of the Electric Frontier Foundation. This interview was recorded on February 22, 2018.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses a First Amendment dispute between the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the American Civil Liberties Union with Art Spitzer, the legal director of the ACLU for the District of Columbia. This interview was recorded October 11, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on First Amendment issues with Adam Liptak from The New York Times. This interview was recorded on November 10, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses the First Amendment rights of elementary, middle and high school students with Catherine J. Ross, professor at the George Washington University School of Law. This interview was recorded on October 11, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses First Amendment issues surrounding the news coverage of national security with David Sanger from The New York Times. This interview was recorded on December 4, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses the conflict between Free Speech and other democratic values with Katherine Culliton-González from Demos. This interview was recorded on November 16, 2017.

Sanford Ungar, director of the Free Speech Project, discusses the Free Speech crisis in America with Andrew Sullivan from New York Magazine. This interview was recorded on November 10, 2017.