Podcst

Ep. 283: Robby Soave on Trump's press ban, Macklemore, and free speech culture wars

So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

FIRE

September 22, 2026

Show Notes

The free speech culture wars look different than they did a decade ago.

Reason senior editor and Rising host Robby Soave joins us to discuss the White House's restrictions on media access, Macklemore getting dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour, and why efforts to suppress controversial speech so often backfire.

We also look back at how the free speech debate has changed since Robby and Nico began covering it — from campus censorship and cancel culture to social media moderation and the changing politics of free speech.

Timestamps:

Intro

How Robby prepares for Rising

How the media landscape has changed

Trump, the press, and censorship

Cancel culture

Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, and the Streisand Effect

Why should we defend the media?

Campus free speech

The changing politics of free speech

Outro

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