- What We Do
- What we defend
- Have your rights been violated?
  If you face retaliation over protected speech, reach out to FIRE to learn more about how we can protect your rights.
  Submit a Case
- Make a difference
- Subscribe to FIRE Updates
  Stay up to date with FIRE's biggest cases and battles for free expression.
  Subscribe
- Take Action
  Across the nation, free speech rights are under attack. Join us in defending this essential quality of liberty. Make your voice heard and join a campaign.
  Protect Free Speech
- Resources
- College Free Speech Rankings
  This year FIRE and College Pulse surveyed nearly 63,000 students and ranked 261 U.S. colleges and universities. We use real student experiences, university policies, and speech controversies to determine the free speech rankings.
  Explore Rankings
- National Speech Index
  The National Speech Index tracks free speech sentiments in America. It is a quarterly survey component of America's Political Pulse from the Polarization Research Lab.
  Learn More
Colleges
News
Cases
Submit a Case
Newsletter

Clear and Present Danger podcast – The great disruption: Part I, the printing press and the viral Reformation

June 14, 2018

The disruptive effects of the internet and social media on the spread of information are unprecedented. Or are they?

In episode 10 of our Clear and Present Danger podcast, we cover the invention, spread, and effects of the Gutenberg printing press:

What significance did this new technology have for the dissemination of knowledge and ideas?
Why was the printing press instrumental in helping a German monk and scholar break the religious unity of Europe?
What happened when new religious ideas raged through Europe like wildfire?
And did Martin Luther’s Reformation lead to religious tolerance and freedom, or persecution and censorship?

You can subscribe and listen to Clear and Present Danger on iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, TuneIn and Stitcher, or download episodes directly from SoundCloud.

Stay up to date with Clear and Present Danger on the show’s Facebook and Twitter pages, or visit the podcast’s website at freespeechhistory.com.

Table of Contents