Nat Hentoff on Free Speech, Jazz, and FIRE

Like FIRE on Facebook: Follow FIRE on Twitter: Subscribe to FIRE’s email lists: The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is proud to release our newest video, an interview with legendary critic and civil libertarian Nat Hentoff. In the interview, recorded in April 2014 at his New York City residence, Hentoff explains the unique power of the First Amendment, discusses his lifelong love of jazz, and emphasizes the importance of FIRE’s work on our nation’s campuses. “The reason FIRE is important is no other organization—and I’ve been reporting about FIRE almost since the day it was born—focuses so entirely on making the new generation, and thereby the generations to follow, aware of how important it is to keep this First Amendment alive,” says Hentoff in the wide-ranging interview. “What FIRE does is, in a sense, fire up these students on college campuses who are being punished for their own expression.” A full transcript is available: Music by Alan Marchand, “Nightmare“ by Artie Shaw, The Blues Brothers (1980 - Universal)