Podcasts

Anthropic, age verification laws, and press freedom

Several stories have put government power over speech and technology back in the spotlight...

Interviews

So to Speak Transcript: Anonymity from the founding to the digital age

Americans have long relied on anonymous speech to challenge the powerful, protect dissenters, and keep the focus on ideas rather than identities. That tradition has endured into America's digital age, even as anonymous speech has become more controversial.

YouTube thumbnail graphic showing Charlie Kirk in black and white against a red background showing the text where he was assassinated.

Videos

1AX: Charlie Kirk’s death and the fight for free speech

FIRE’s new series “1AX” exposes the front lines of America’s free speech battles, where dissent is challenged, rights are tested, and the Constitution itself is put on trial.

Legal framework for social media usage and digital safety for online communities

Testimony

Testimony of Ari Cohn in opposition to Wisconsin Senate Bill 758, March 4, 2026

Senate Bill 758 violates the First Amendment by requiring all users to identify themselves prior to engaging in protected expression. FIRE urges this committee to vote against the bill.

Testimony

Testimony of Ari Cohn in opposition to Wisconsin Senate Bill 936, March 4, 2026

Age verification mandates for social media violate the First Amendment, and SB 936 attempts to avoid the constitutional issue by requiring platforms to perform ongoing estimations of user ages.

Fists clashing collage element for mixed media design

Issue Pages

Fighting words overview

The fighting words exception to freedom of speech is widely misunderstood because of the twisted legal path the doctrine has followed the last six decades.

Protest in Center City, Philadelphia, with one person holding a pink sign that reads "Abolish Ice". Photo by Alejandro Diaz Manrique for Shutterstock.com

Toolkits

Reporting on and responding to immigration issues as student journalists

Here’s how student journalists can cover ICE protests without sacrificing the security of their staff or contributors.

Search bar with text Freedom of Speech and right hand index finger touching search icon.

Toolkits

Campus free speech 101: What every alumnus needs to know

FIRE has collected the following tools to help you research, organize, and act in defense of free speech at your alma mater.

Illustration of a group of people in conversation

Toolkits

Starting a free speech alumni group

FIRE proudly supports and advises many alumni groups nationwide — and we can help you do the same.

Toolkits

Alumni action plan for campus free expression

As alumni, you are the keepers of the flame that inspired you in college and guided your paths long after commencement. Your task now is to ensure that the flame you inherited continues to burn for all those who follow.

Podcasts

Anonymity from the founding to the digital age

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, newspapers and pamphlets overflowed with essays signed "Publius," "Brutus," and "A Farmer."

FIRE Quarterly

Winter 2026 FIRE Quarterly

Last year we faced an onslaught of threats to free speech — government jawboning, regulations on AI and social media, violence on campus, and censorship at town halls.

Scholars Under Fire 2025 report cover showing a teacher and student in black and white with a red bullseye target over the teacher

Databases

Scholars Under Fire Database Methodology

One significant form of campus censorship is the public effort to punish scholars for their constitutionally protected expression.

Graphic collage showing the continents with Xs and warning signs over them, and a person holding a phone with large exclamation points on the screen, indicating global censorship on the internet and social media.

Issue Pages

FIRE’s principles for defending speech — in the U.S. and abroad — on the global internet

The global internet is turning into a maze of speech laws — and some of those laws are starting to reach into the United States.

Surveys

National Speech Index - January 2026

While Americans are apprehensive about the rise of artificial intelligence, they overwhelmingly believe that legislators should protect freedom of speech when crafting AI legislation.

Research & Learn

1AX: Charlie Kirk’s death and the fight for free speech

FIRE’s principles for defending speech — in the U.S. and abroad — on the global internet

Sanctioned Scholars: The price of speaking freely in today’s academy

National Speech Index

College Free Speech Rankings

Anthropic, age verification laws, and press freedom

So to Speak Transcript: Anonymity from the founding to the digital age

1AX: Charlie Kirk’s death and the fight for free speech

Testimony of Ari Cohn in opposition to Wisconsin Senate Bill 758, March 4, 2026

Testimony of Ari Cohn in opposition to Wisconsin Senate Bill 936, March 4, 2026

Fighting words overview

Reporting on and responding to immigration issues as student journalists

Campus free speech 101: What every alumnus needs to know

Starting a free speech alumni group

Alumni action plan for campus free expression

Anonymity from the founding to the digital age

Winter 2026 FIRE Quarterly

Scholars Under Fire Database Methodology

FIRE’s principles for defending speech — in the U.S. and abroad — on the global internet

National Speech Index - January 2026