What exactly is “hate speech”—and who gets to decide?

This episode of UnSpun traces the shifting definitions of hate speech across a century of mass media. From Henry Ford’s antisemitic newspaper in the 1920s to Father Coughlin’s radio sermons, from Rwanda’s radio-fueled genocide to Roseanne Barr’s infamous tweet, Don Imus’s firing, and the recent suspensions of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert—we follow how governments, corporations, and audiences have drawn, erased, and redrawn the boundaries of speech.

Along the way, we uncover how U.S. free speech law differs from Europe’s, how the Chans incubated extremist movements, how YouTube’s “adpocalypse” reshaped platform rules, and how the FCC’s regulatory power still influences what voices we hear.

👉 Subscribe for more episodes exploring the forces that shape public perception, journalism, and democracy.

Law and Order” — it sounds reassuring. But what does it really mean?

In this week’s episode of UnSpun, we unpack how those three words have been used across centuries — from 1500s England to 1960s Alabama to 2020s America — not just to fight crime, but to reshape societies.

In this episode, we explore:

• The hidden history of “law and order” as a political weapon
• How leaders like George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump used the phrase to suppress dissent
• The role of economic fear in making people trade freedom for control
• Global examples from Canada, China, Turkey, Eastern Europe, and beyond
• What the phrase means today — and why we should all listen carefully when it’s used

“Law and Order” isn’t just a slogan. It’s a signal — and sometimes, a warning.

🎧 Listen now to learn what’s really being promised.

“You either agree with us… or you’re out.”

Ever felt like saying the wrong thing—even gently—could get you exiled from your community, your party, your friend group?

In this episode of UnSpun, Dr. Sturg explores the rise of ideological purity tests:

• Why your social feed feels like a loyalty gauntlet
• How politicians, religious leaders, and even scientists use purity rhetoric to silence dissent
• The hidden power of wedge issues in dividing movements
• And how the internet has made it faster, more punishing, and more profitable

Learn how groupthink spreads, what purity logic does to our ability to think clearly, and what we can do to fight back.

Real-world examples from the U.S., Canada, Hungary, South America, Reddit, Wikipedia, and more.

It’s about identity, fear, and power and if you feel silenced, this one’s for you..