Defending opinions we believe is important. Defending opinions we hate is critical. FIRE's @glukianoff spoke at @UVU, where Charlie Kirk was murdered, to remind us that America is not inevitable. It’s a choice. Let’s not become like everybody else. Let’s use words.

Free speech on college campuses is a proud American tradition, and — on public campuses — protected by the First Amendment. President Trump's message this morning, combined with other recent executive orders threatening punishment for protected speech, is deeply chilling. 🧵

Our free press acts as a watchdog on the government. But the White House apparently wants to trade watchdogs for lapdogs. The White House today announced it would handpick which outlets can cover President Donald Trump day-to-day in the presidential press pool — a major shift from the previous system, where the press itself determined access based on set criteria. The decision comes on the heels of one member of the pool, the Associated Press, suing the White House for limiting the outlet’s access because it won’t use the term “Gulf of America.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said one reason for the change was to give new media outlets an opportunity to cover the president. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles cited capacity issues in relatively small spaces like Air Force One or the Oval Office. But the decision’s timing and the White House’s punishment of the AP suggests it is seeking to exclude more outlets whose coverage or editorial standards it dislikes. Trump isn’t the first president to use White House access as leverage against news outlets — the Obama administration was widely condemned when it tried the same tactic against Fox News in 2011. It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now. The administration called press access to the White House a “privilege,” treating it as something to be earned through obedience rather than something owed to the American people in the name of transparency. A free press is supposed to hold those in power accountable — not dutifully promote their agenda. One anonymous Trump advisor allegedly told Axios: “The AP and the White House Correspondents Association wanted to f--k around. Now it’s finding out time.” This is America. The government cannot make the press "find out" in retaliation for exercising First Amendment rights.