“STOP CALLING ME FAT AND RANDY!” Henry VIII wanted to put the printing press genie back in the proverbial bottle, but there’s no doubt that after the initial anarchic period, history has always proven that advances in information technology are not just inevitable but ultimately positive.

INSTITUTIONAL DECAY, HENRY VIII’S BIG FAT LIBIDO, AND THE ETERNALLY RADICAL IDEA: When you add billions of eyes to the problems of the world, the result is not just noise but incredible breakthroughs.

NEIGHBORS SNITCHING ON NEIGHBORS IS A HALLMARK OF LIFE UNDER TOTALITARIAN REGIMES. That’s why it’s so concerning that these bias response hotlines have leaked out from college campuses and are quickly being adopted by state and municipal governments.

BIAS REPORTING SYSTEMS WERE A NIGHTMARE ON CAMPUS — AND NOW THEY’RE EVERYWHERE: Neighbors reporting neighbors for speech that is protected under the First Amendment is textbook totalitarianism, and it must not be tolerated.

METACOMMENTARY: WHY META’S MOVE TO COMMUNITY NOTES IS GOOD. Contrary to some media hyperventilation, there was a lot to like in Zuckerberg’s announcement on Tuesday

ESCAPING THE AI GUILT TRAP IN TEXAS: Decades of anti-discrimination overreach devastated academic freedom—now it’s targeting the future of knowledge.

NEW KOSA, SAME AS THE OLD KOSA: Why this co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind opposes the Kids Online Safety Act

WHILE I TRY TO AVOID PUBLICLY CRITICIZING OTHER NONPROFITS, I recently made an exception to that rule to raise awareness that the once-great AAUP has not only failed in its mission to defend academic freedom but, in fact, is a threat to both free speech and academic freedom.

HERE LIES THE AAUP: A once-great org that abandoned its principles in favor of partisan expediency.

HOW THE ONCE-GREAT AAUP became an actual threat to both academic freedom & free speech.

LESSON #2 ON HOW TO MAINTAIN A GENUINELY NON-PARTISAN NON-PROFIT: Make sure your staff is actually politically diverse. It may sound like a no-brainer, but very few non-profits actually do this.

SCHOOLS MUST RECRUIT SCHOLARS NOT ACTIVISTS: In order for the ship of higher ed to right itself, admins must rediscover its purpose: the production of knowledge.

WORDS ≠ VIOLENCE: Anyone who’s ever been punched in the face knows this all-too-well, but unfortunately, according to new data, 8 in 10 Americans have confused the two.

BE WILLING TO DRIVE THE BUS INTO A WALL: Part 1 in a short series of lessons I’ve learned as President of FIRE.

NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL ERI: In honor of the 1st birthday of The Eternally Radical Idea newsletter, here’s a look back at some of our greatest hits.

HOW TIM WALZ GOT FREE SPEECH VERY WRONG AT THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: There is no hate speech exception, government must not be the arbiter of truth, and you CAN shout fire in a crowded theater.

And to make that last point clear, here is a helpful video from FIRE:

STUDENTS LOOK TO REPORT PROFESSORS FOR WRONGTHINK: The results of a recent survey conducted by NDSU’s Challey Institute reinforce the “conformity gauntlet” (layer upon layer of conformity-inducing pressures that make matriculating through — or, god forbid, attempting to find employment in — higher ed a living nightmare for ideological dissenters) from The Canceling of the American Mind.

TODAY’S MY 50TH BIRTHDAY: I’ve been at FIRE for almost half my life, and it’s been so incredible to see our little team grow to become the nation’s premier free speech defender! We’re fighting for free speech in the courtroom, the classroom, and in the culture.

• Our team has grown to 115 *incredible* free speech defenders.
• We are nearing ONE MILLION followers on social media and email.
• We have 30 active litigation cases.
• We have secured eight grassroots victories in communities across the country.
• We have helped build 35 alumni organizations to defend free speech on campuses.
• We have had 4 model bills passed in states across the country this year alone.
• We have released the largest report on college free speech EVER!
• We have successfully reformed 31 anti-free speech college policies this year alone.

FIRE has come a long way, but there is still more work to do.

That’s where you come in. Please consider donating to FIRE and join the Free Speech Movement.

Consider it a birthday present to me ;)

STUDENTS ARE CONFUSED ABOUT SPEECH. After decades of administrators censoring opinions they don’t like and supporting the most expansive idea of free speech for those they do, students are unsurprisingly confused. They rightfully made their feelings known in response to FIRE’s survey for our 2025 College Free Speech Rankings.

Top 5 schools:

• UVA
• Michigan Tech
• Florida State
• Eastern Kentucky
• Georgia Tech

Bottom 5:

• Harvard
• Columbia
• NYU
• Penn
• Barnard

And here are five more takeaways from this year’s rankings.

FIRE’S 2025 COLLEGE FREE SPEECH RANKINGS SURVEYED 58,000 STUDENTS ACROSS 257 COLLEGES. One takeaway: A record 55% of students said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is difficult to discuss openly on campus (Yes, I’m sure you’re shocked!). Dig into the data!

FIRE’S 2025 COLLEGE FREE SPEECH RANKINGS ARE OUT! The University of Virginia takes the top spot for the best free speech climate while Harvard remains dead last for the second year in a row. Check out the full rankings.

MY LIST OF THE BEST BOOKS ON FREE SPEECH … EVER! 

AMERICAN EX-PAT CHARGED IN GERMAN COURT FOR CRITICIZING MASK MANDATE: Playwright & novelist C. J. Hopkins was charged with “promoting the tenets of National Socialism” simply for referencing the cover of his book (which depicts a swastika-branded medical mask) in a tweet calling masks “ideological conformity symbols.”