The Eternally Radical 2025 roundup
Every year I try to pretend I’m not the kind of person who enjoys a year-end roundup, and every year I fail in exactly the same way: by making one.
So here it is — five pieces of media that capture, in very different ways, what we’re actually doing when we defend free speech: protecting the right to speak, the right to dissent, and the right to make something beautiful or provocative (or at least “interesting”) without being punished for it.
And unless you were in Rochester this last November 20, we’re leading with the one you haven’t seen yet.
1) Outspoken Music for Free Speech (our first classical concert)
Rebecca Bryant Novak was a former doctoral student at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music who reported sexual harassment, faced retaliation, and was ultimately expelled — a familiar pattern when institutions treat criticism as the problem. At FIRE, we reject the idea that speaking the truth should cost someone their career.
That’s what this concert, hosted by ERI’s Angel Eduardo, was all about. An all-volunteer orchestra performed Rebecca’s selections from composers who understood censorship firsthand — Shostakovich and Mozart (and also Bach, because Bach).
The featured soloists, violinist Lara St. John and oboist Katherine Needleman, also know what happens when people are pressured into silence. St. John has a documentary coming out next year about how speaking publicly about abuse she endured as a music student — despite efforts to muzzle discussion — led other women in classical music to share what they’d been through.
I won’t pretend that concerts will solve all forms of censorship, or that FIRE would even have the resources to replace all the speech that censorship takes away (though please support us so we can do more!). But sometimes there’s an opportunity to celebrate expression and frustrate censorship, and it’s good to take those opportunities when you can.
2) My TED Talk
This year I did something I never expected to do: I gave a TED Talk. (There are sentences you can write that still feel strange even after you write them.)
I focused on debunking four points often espoused by speech critics:
Words can be a form of violence.
Free speech is a tool of the powerful.
There’s no value in anything dubbed “misinformation.”
Bad people only have bad ideas.
Which, in short, I respond with
No, words are the alternative to violence (see the UVU post below for more).
No, power is the tool of the powerful, and speech is a tool for everyone.
No, we are wrong too often to pretend we can safely suppress what we think is untrue.
No, truth can come from strange places.
The talk itself is one thing. The process is another: it’s a deep dive into how scripted, rehearsed, coached, and precise these talks are — and how much work it takes to make something look “effortless.” If you’re curious how the sausage gets made (and why I decided to do it anyway), there’s more in this post.
3) Speaking at Utah Valley State
This one is heavier.
After the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, I went to UVU to speak — and I was genuinely afraid. Not because fear is new, but because it’s clarifying: it forces you to decide whether you actually believe what you say you believe about free speech being a peace treaty, about keeping a bright line between words and violence, and about refusing to let intimidation become governance.
As I said at UVU, “Free speech is one of the greatest tools for peace ever invented. It is like a peace treaty with ourselves, and we abandon it at our peril. Abandoning it for something as foolish as a rhetorical advantage is madness.”
4) The Daily podcast
A New York Times reporter spends serious time with you, asks serious questions, and then you find yourself bracing for the worst — and then, occasionally, you’re surprised. I was pleasantly surprised when over four hours of conversation were expertly distilled into a brisk 52 minutes, with awkward personal moments intact.
In a wide-ranging conversation I talk with Natalie Kitroeff about why I do this work, what changed on campus (and why), and the cases that still stick with me.
5) “Taking a knee in sports? For What!?”
Ok, I know this one isn’t from this year, but it’s still the funniest video we’ve ever put out. And since it’s football season, I figured it was as good a time as any to reup. Shout-out to Lou Perez!
SHOT FOR THE ROAD
I joined FIRE in 2001 as its first legal director and employee number six. Over 25 years later, we’re now 138 employees-strong (and hiring!) but we’re only growing to keep pace with the mounting threats to free speech. In the spirit of holiday giving, I hope you’ll consider supporting our work.