Free Speech Week Conversation With Prof. Jennifer Lambe

Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 // Forbes Avenue

The fourth week of October each year is Free Speech Week. This year, we were fortunate to spend some time with University of Delaware Communications Professor Jennifer Lambe while she was in Pittsburgh for the 2025 Eradicate Hate Summit.

This conversation covered a wide range of topics: How Pittsburgh’s reaction to the 2018 Tree of Life shooting differed from some politicians’ reaction to the 2025 shooting of Charlie Kirk; What the First Amendment does and doesn’t do; The importance of the First Amendment; How the economics of political campaigns and social media have helped make the “speech environment” radically different than when the First Amendment was enacted in 1791; and many other interesting topics.

The most important point Prof. Lambe made was that we need more true civil discourse between individuals, where we listen to each other and respect each other as people even when we disagree about politics, to help diffuse the divisiveness of our current political environment.

A very thought-provoking conversation.

Listen to the episode: Prof. Jennifer Lambe

Richard Gordon, host, audio editor, audio engineer, researcher
Recorded September 15, 2025; WRCT debut October 21, 2025