Radio Hosts Sound Alarm on FIRE's 2027 Free Speech Rankings: Nearly Half of Colleges Get an F

On a recent episode of the show, hosts the host and the host discussed the newly released 2027 college free speech rankings from FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. The report grades speech climates at 261 schools, and the host told listeners that 121 of those campuses — nearly half — received a failing grade.

the host summarized FIRE's own framing of the findings, saying free speech on campus is under continuous threat at many American colleges, often pushed aside in favor of politics, comfort, or simply a desire to avoid controversy. He walked through survey findings baked into the rankings: 30 percent of students said using violence to stop a campus speaker is acceptable in at least rare cases, and 69 percent said the same about shouting down a speaker. "30 percent of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases. 30 percent. 69 percent of students say shouting down a speaker on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases," the host said.

the host said the violence figure was the more troubling of the two. "The violence thing, I hope, is just a directional answer, but the fact that you would even give that as a directional answer, not meaning it yourself, is highly troubling," he said. the host argued the numbers reflect years of campus messaging that equates speech with violence, suggesting that once students are told speech is violence, it follows in their minds that violence can be answered with violence.

the host also cited related self-censorship figures from the survey: 23 percent of students said they censor themselves around other students, 27 percent said they hold back in classroom discussions to protect their grades, and 24 percent said they doubt their school's administration would defend a speaker's right to express views. He said the pattern points to a campus culture where, even when speech isn't formally banned, unpopular ideas simply don't get a hearing.

the host's response was blunter: "Shut 'em down is the answer. That's the only answer. You gotta blow this whole thing up." the host, for his part, credited federal efforts on the issue, name-checking Trump administration civil rights official Harmeet Dhillon before moving on to other topics.

Heard on The Armstrong & Getty Show — Oh God! I'm Going Home! (2026-09-18).