Forget the contentious House Judiciary Committee meeting this week about threats to free speech: U.S. Rep Jim Jordan is deliberately ignoring the most significant threat to American speech freedoms.
That’s how the hosts on Today in Ohio see it, anyway.
During the committee meeting, Jordan accused European Union regulators of attempting to influence U.S. elections through content moderation rules that affect social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Jordan claimed that when “platforms are forced to change their service terms to comply with European laws, it affects what Americans say online and infringes on Americans’ First Amendment rights.”
But podcast host Chris Quinn shifted the focus to what he views as the real danger to free expression in America.
“The clear threat to free speech in this country is the president,” Quinn said, referring to Donald Trump. “He has sued networks, that have kowtowed to him when they shouldn’t have and given millions of dollars. He is cowing newsrooms from criticizing him.”
The podcast detailed how the committee meeting devolved into partisan disagreement, with Ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin of Maryland pointing out that Jordan “ignores ongoing oppression in Russia, China, Pakistan, while vilifying European liberal democracies.”
Quinn escalated his criticism of Trump’s impact on American discourse, stating: “Donald Trump is the biggest threat we’ve had to free speech in this country probably in the entire history of the country. And for Jim Jordan to sit there and say, ‘Look at Great Britain, ‘ it’s cartoonish, buffoonish and dangerous.”
Host Lisa Garvin marveled at Jordan’s ominous claim that “today’s misinformation is tomorrow’s truth. She called it “Alternative Facts 2.0.”
Quinn argued that when lies are accepted as truth, meaningful public discourse becomes impossible because “we can’t have a basic conversation with each other because we’re not operating from a set of facts.” He cited Trump’s repeated falsehoods as a fundamental threat to the foundation of free speech itself.
The “Today in Ohio” discussion highlighted how Jordan’s focus on European regulations appears to be a distraction from more immediate domestic threats to press freedom. Quinn noted several specific actions that he believes demonstrate the true danger: Trump’s lawsuits against news organizations, shuttering Voice of America, the withdrawal of funding from public media like NPR, and attempts to rewrite history at institutions like the Smithsonian.
“Donald Trump is trying to kill truth,” Quinn said. “He is trying to become an authoritarian leader by being the source of information, no matter how inaccurate it is. And no president in history has lied as much as this guy has.”
The podcast exchange underscores a broader national debate about the nature of threats to free speech and the role of government in either protecting or undermining the press. While Jordan focuses on foreign influences, the “Today in Ohio” hosts argue that Americans should be far more concerned about threats emerging from within our own political system – particularly from leaders who use their power to intimidate media outlets and distort factual information.
Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.
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