FIRE Launches ‘Speech Code of the Month’ Widget

UPDATED (June 6, 2023): The widget described in this article has been discontinued.

Every month, FIRE selects a college or university with a particularly egregious speech code as our Speech Code of the Month. The program has been very successful: since its inception two years ago, nine schools have changed their policies as a result of being named Speech Code of the Month.

Today, we're turning up the heat on campus censorship even more with the introduction of our Speech Code of the Month Widget. At FIRE, we believe that public exposure is the best way to end abuses of student rights—that's why our unofficial motto is Justice Brandeis's famous maxim that "sunlight is the best disinfectant." By adding the widget to your blog or website, you can help shine yet more sunlight on these repressive speech codes by sharing this information with your readers. And if you send us a link to your site with the widget posted on it and your mailing address, we'll send you a free FIRE mug as well!

Adding the Speech Code of the Month Widget to your site is easy:

1. Visit https://www.thefire.org/category/speech-code-of-the-month/ and look on the right sidebar to see the widget. Below it is a box with some text in it—select all the text and copy it to the clipboard.

2. Go to your blog or website, and paste in the text wherever you want the widget to appear. It's made for a sidebar, but should work anywhere.

3. The widget will automatically update every month to highlight the latest Speech Code of the Month.

4. Let FIRE know you have put up the widget and we'll send you a free FIRE mug!

Help FIRE expose censorship on campus and get a free mug to boot—add the Speech Code of the Month Widget today. And if you haven't already added FIRE's original widget, be sure to do that too!