Jacob Mchangama

Jacob Mchangama is the CEO of the Future of Free Speech Project, Research Professor at Vanderbilt University, and a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. He is the author of Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media (Basic Books, 2022).

A woman passes by a wall of pro-Palestine signs and posters displayed on windows of The New School.

PRINCIPLES OVER POLITICS

PEN America Is Right to Stay Out of Gaza War Activism

The free speech organization canceled its annual World Voices Festival after a boycott by pro-Palestinian writers. But viewpoint neutrality is central to its mission.

Jacob Mchangama

A photo illustration showing the burning of pacifists draft cards in the USA during a protest of the Vietnam War.

PROTECT DISSENT

Anti-Blasphemy Laws: Great for Tyrants, Bad for Dissidents

Far-right provocateurs burning Qurans led Denmark to pass a law forbidding “improper treatment” of religious texts. History shows this is a very bad idea.

Jacob Mchangama

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NO ‘GOOD CENSORSHIP’

The First Amendment Is for the Powerless and Marginalized

Many progressives insist the constitutional right to free speech is a “tool of the oppressor.” They could not be more wrong.

Jacob Mchangama

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Crackdown on Royal Protests Makes U.S. Free Speech Look Good

British police are using a new law meant to curb Black Lives Matter and environment protests—to stop citizens from “disrespecting” the monarchy.

Jacob Mchangama

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FREE SPEECH HELPS UKRAINE

The Problem With Banning Russian Disinformation

“Fake news” can be harmful, but freedom of expression and access to information is the best way to defeat Putin’s propaganda.

Jacob Mchangama