Marc Steiner: A Life Standing for Free Speech | Ep. 8

Marc Steiner: A Life Standing for Free Speech | Ep. 8

“Existence is struggle,” says Marc Steiner. “It always has been, and always will be.” In this podcast series, we’ve looked at the attacks on free speech rights [https://therealnews.com/fired-and-jailed-attacks-on-free-speech-under-trump] today in the United States. We looked at the history [https://therealnews.com/a-history-of-free-speech-from-abolitionists-to-berkeley] and how movements and organizations have stood up for and exercised free speech in their work. We looked at how social media, AI, and disinformation [https://therealnews.com/big-techs-assault-on-free-speech-mergers-social-media-ai-and-censorship] are undermining our free speech, and at how people are responding [https://therealnews.com/media-education-regulation-organizing-against-big-tech-europe-free-speech] in the United States and abroad. In the final episode of this series, we’re focusing on what free speech means within the context of the life of one person who has been through it all — co-host Marc Steiner [https://therealnews.com/author/marc-steiner]. He turned 80 earlier this year.  In this episode, Michael Fox sits down with Marc to discuss all of these incredible layers of his life,  from fighting civil rights and community organizing to underground newspapers, street theater, education, and journalism. What do they all mean for him, how do they all add up to nearly seven decades standing up and fighting for free speech, and how they fit into the battle for free speech today? “You have to step back and really listen to what people are saying so you can bring out their truth so others can wrestle with it,” says Marc. “And if they need confronting in their process, you confront it and push back. Which is why when I think about what we do, how important it is — We have a critical role to play in bringing understanding to the world. The truth lives in every corner. And you have to listen. No one has a hold on it.” In our conversation, Marc says right now the battle for free speech is more important than ever.  “I think we’re politically facing the most dangerous moment in my lifetime,” says Marc, “where the right is seizing power across the country — the racist right is seizing power. And that now the battle for free speech is more critical than ever. We cannot let them take it away. We have to stand up to that.” The Battle for Free Speech Podcast is a production of The Real News Network. Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox [https://foxviolin.com/], Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara. Research by Ben Schweiger.  Guests  * Marc Steiner [https://therealnews.com/author/marc-steiner] Resources  * You can hear more from Marc on the Marc Steiner Show [https://therealnews.com/the-marc-steiner-show] on The Real News Network. * You can see Marc’s archives at the Center for Emerging Media [https://www.steinershow.org/]. * Marc Steiner’s Peabody-award winning documentary series, Just Words [https://www.steinershow.org/category/features/just-words/]. * Marc Steiner’s documentary series Shared Weight [https://www.steinershow.org/category/features/shared-weight/], which looks back at the Vietnam War and its legacy. Many thanks to everyone who has supported this show. Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/033olXvh3dLzQFJc1HSd6O?si=3bf7552736124ef3] or Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-battle-for-free-speech/id1896829044]. Support Michael Fox's reporting at patreon.com/mfox [http://patreon.com/mfox]. Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com [https://therealnews.com/sign-up].  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Loving Sports in an Age of Authoritarians w/ Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff

For many around the US and around the world, the World Cup was a welcome distraction from the dismal state of the world and the daily overwhelm of relentless war, corruption, fascism, and disaster. But the games were also an uncomfortable reminder that, no matter how much we love sports and want them to be an escape from politics and the pain of living in a broken society, there is no way to truly escape those things, and the manufactured illusion that sports are an escape from political reality is just that: an illusion. At a live event hosted on July 16, 2026, at Chilo’s bar in New York City, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez spoke with legendary sports writers Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff about what it means to love sports in an age of authoritarians. Additional links/info: * Chilo’s bar website [https://www.chilosbk.com/] and Instagram [http://instagram.com/chilosbk] * Jules Boykoff, OR Books, Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine [https://orbooks.com/catalog/red-card/] * Dave Zirin, Penguin Randomhouse, The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724993/the-peoples-historian-by-dave-zirin/] Credits: * Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Want Less Prison Violence? Make Prison Phone Calls Free

A groundbreaking new report reveals a direct link between prison phone call rates and prison safety: higher rates fuel more violence within prisons; lower rates and free phone calls dramatically reduce it. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host and former political prisoner Mansa Musa speaks with Peter Mayer, Director of Research & Data Innovation for Worth Rises. Additional links/info: * Worth Rises website [https://worthrises.org/], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/worthrises] page, Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/worthrises.bsky.social] page, X page [https://twitter.com/worthrises], and Instagram [http://instagram.com/worthrises] * Peter Mayer & Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises (May 2026), “Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/699fccba12bdc435eea40214/t/6a06279b0ee9ba58a4e42742/1778788251230/2026+-+Critical+Connections+-+The+Power+of+Free+Communication+in+Prisons+and+Jails+-+Report+-+FINAL+-+Site+(1).pdf]” Credits: * Producer / Videographer / Editor: Cameron Granadino Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Fighting Disinformation in Europe: Media Education, Regulation, & Organizing

Disinformation is impacting our lives. Much of it is being pushed by unregulated Silicon Valley tech companies and their billionaires owners. But people in Europe are pushing back. In this episode, co-host Michael Fox goes to Spain, to look at how members of the Spanish far right have been inspired by Charlie Kirk. Then we look at grassroots organizing against Big Tech in Ireland, media education initiatives in Finland, and European measures regulating Big Tech.  “This has now been a topic of discussion very much in Europe,” says Finish educator Saara Salomaa, “Should we actually trust any U.S. tech companies or should we try to get rid of U.S. tech companies as soon as possible?” Michael is joined in the episode by Laura Flanders [https://www.instagram.com/lauraflanders/]. She is the host of Laura Flanders and Friends [https://lauraflanders.org/] — on public television — formerly known as the Laura Flanders show. The Battle for Free Speech Podcast is a production of The Real News Network.  Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox [https://foxviolin.com/], Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara. Research by Ben Schweiger. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-schweiger-73b53827a]  Guests:  * Sergio Villanueva [https://sergiovillanuevabaselga.com/] * Jude Farrell [https://www.instagram.com/yourtechtheirdeaths/] * Saara Salomaa [https://fi.linkedin.com/in/saara-salomaa] * Iva Nenadic [https://www.eui.eu/people?id=iva-nenadic] Many thanks, also to Ilona Taimela [https://x.com/IlonaTaimela], for also taking the time to speak with me about media education in Finland. Resources:  Here is a link to TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/discover/why-are-people-call-avocados-puchinas] about the Puchaina Avocado videos * Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/033olXvh3dLzQFJc1HSd6O?si=3bf7552736124ef3] or Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-battle-for-free-speech/id1896829044] * Support Michael Fox's reporting at patreon.com/mfox [http://patreon.com/mfox]. Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com [https://therealnews.com/sign-up]. * The Battle for Free Speech is a production of The Real News Network. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]

Data Centers Are Not a “Red State” or “Blue State” Problem; They’re a Working-Class Problem

In so-called “red states” and “blue states” around the US, from rural areas to urban centers, the explosion of new data center projects is impacting residents in poor, working-class, and middle-class communities alike. In this episode of Working People, we speak with a diverse panel of residents fighting new and proposed data center projects in Texas and Maryland about what it means for you and your community when one of these loud, polluting, energy- and water-guzzling behemoths comes to your town—and how to fight back. Panelists include: Cheryl Shadden [https://www.instagram.com/cheryl.shadden/], a registered nurse anesthetist who lives right next to the site of a Marathon bitcoin mine in Granbury, Texas; Karen Pearson, a licensed professional counselor and a resident of Granbury who also lives right next to the Marathon bitcoin mine; Dr. Shannon Wolf, Precinct Chair in Hood County, who lives three miles from the Marathon bitcoin mine; Craig Jackson, a resident of Granbury who lives 300 feet from the site of a new proposed data center, and who is also a plaintiff in a current lawsuit residents have filed against the city of Granbury; Micaiah Lloyd [https://www.instagram.com/tajalloyd], a grassroots organizer and resident of Charles County, Maryland, who lives near the site of a proposed data center; Hillary Gonzalez [https://www.instagram.com/hillarygonzalezpoetry/], an eco-poet, author, founder of Sacred Parks & Waterways, and a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, who lives right next to the site of Johns Hopkins University’s future Data Science and Artificial Intelligence complex. Additional links/info: * Protect Hood County website [https://protecthoodcounty.com/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bitcoinnoisehoodcounty] page * Sacred Parks & Waterways website [https://sacredparksandwaterways.com/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sacredparksandwaterways/] * Viral MS Now clip featuring Cheryl Shadden of Granbury, Texas [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZC8vohkTzr/?igsh=MTJrb2xsbWV5eXV6Yg%3D%3D] * Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “A bitcoin mine in Texas is ‘killing us slowly,’ local residents say [https://therealnews.com/a-bitcoin-mine-in-texas-is-killing-us-slowly-local-residents-say]” * Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “‘Like being tortured’: Texas residents living next to bitcoin mine are getting sick and being ignored [https://therealnews.com/like-being-tortured-texas-residents-living-next-to-bitcoin-mine-are-getting-sick-and-being-ignored]” * Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “Toxic Avengers: America’s poisoned and abandoned communities must stand together or die [https://therealnews.com/toxic-avengers-americas-poisoned-and-abandoned-communities-must-stand-together-or-die]” * Christine Condon, Maryland Matters, “Data center frustrations cause upheaval in county primary elections [https://marylandmatters.org/2026/07/13/data-center-frustrations-cause-upheaval-in-county-primary-elections/]” * Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela, KERA News, “Granbury residents sue city over data center plan, allege Texas Open Meetings Act violations [https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-04-10/granbury-data-center-lawsuit-texas-open-meetings-act]” Featured Music: * Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: * Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss]. Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer. [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support] Follow us on: Bluesky: @therealnews.com [https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com] Facebook: The Real News Network [https://facebook.com/therealnews] Twitter: @TheRealNews [https://twitter.com/therealnews] YouTube: @therealnews [https://www.youtube.com/therealnews] Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork [https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/] https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today! [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support]