Fair Media Council CEO Jaci Clement talks with Justin Hendrix, CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, about how innovation, power, and responsibility collide in the digital age. From AI’s environmental toll to the fight for privacy and democracy, this episode explores whether technology’s future depends on who—and what—it ultimately serves. This episode was recorded during Climate Week NYC 2025.

Guest Bio

Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy. Previously, he was Executive Director of NYC Media Lab. He spent over a decade at The Economist in roles including Vice President of Business Development & Innovation. He is an adjunct professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and a lecturer at Cornell Tech. (Source: Techpolicy.press)

Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and return to late-night raised serious questions: Where’s the line between offensive comedy and unprotected speech? And how far can the FCC go in policing broadcasters?

In this episode of FMC Fast Chat, Fair Media Council CEO Jaci Clement joins forces with renowned First Amendment scholar Clay Calvert, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, to unpack the controversy and its bigger implications. Together they break down the headlines with a clear-eyed look at what’s really happening in America today.

👉 In this episode, we explore:

• The Jimmy Kimmel–FCC showdown and why it matters
• Why “hate speech” is generally protected in the U.S.—and where the law actually draws the line
• The fine distinctions between true threats, fighting words, and incitement
• How social media is weaponized to silence unpopular speech
• What lawsuits and government actions mean for the future of free expression

🎙️ A timely, candid conversation that makes sense of today’s free speech battles. Tune in now and stay media-savvy.

How did we get from 30% profit margins to paywalls, nonprofit newsrooms, and creators funding investigative journalism one Substack post at a time?

In this episode of FMC Fast Chat, host Jaci Clement sits down with Richard Tofel — founding general manager and former president of ProPublica, now leading Gallatin Advisory and teaching at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health — for a candid, eye-opening conversation about the fractured economics of journalism, how credibility impacts revenue, and what’s really at stake for democracy.

🔥 Highlights include:

• Why the news industry never recovered from 2005
• The dark side of paywalls — and how they shift newsroom independence
• How to navigate a media landscape flooded with misinformation
• The COVID communications collapse: What public health experts must learn
• Why today’s best journalism may be the best we’ve ever had

📌 Whether in the newsroom, a boardroom, or just trying to be an informed citizen, this episode will change how you think about the news — and what you choose to trust.

FMC Fast Chat is the official podcast of the Fair Media Council. Guest inquiries: bookings@fairmediacouncil.org