Otherwise Objectionable

About Otherwise Objectionable

The true story of the most misunderstood law on the internet. Tech journalist Mike Masnick brings you inside the making of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, featuring witnesses to Silicon Valley’s Wild West era, the Congressmen who wrote the law, and innovators who benefited from its balance of freedom and responsibility. Why do so many people hate this law, how does the rest of the world deal with these issues, and how can it be used to take on new challenges like A.I.? Listen to find out. Otherwise Objectionable is executive produced by Bilander Media.

Publisher

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Category

government · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Feb 2025

Latest episode

30 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

9 of 9 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   30 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 8: Prescriptions to Save the Internet

   Charles C.W. Cooke, Dave Willner, Mike Masnick, and Jessica Melugin analyze the podcast's purpose, discussing lessons learned, the current state, and future direction of the internet.

2. 

   23 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 7: The Future of Speech Online

   The rise of A.I. has ushered in a new era for the internet, right when Section 230 and its protections have never been more threatened. Today’s innovators look to the past for guidance.

3. 

   16 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 6: The Rest of the World

   The web gets big enough to impact presidential elections. And the rest of the world grapples with speech on the internet.

4. 

   9 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 5: Blowback, and the Dust Settles

   The first real attempt to regulate the internet goes down in flames. But what remains is a structure to support the new, more interactive world of Web 2.0.

5. 

   2 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 4: The Solution

   A bill intended to keep smut off the internet threatens to undo everything Representatives Christopher Cox and Ron Wyden have accomplished. How will their compromise play out?

6. 

   26 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 3: Law and Disorder

   Enter the dotcom era. Dueling lawsuits leave early web companies with a massive question — can they moderate speech without getting sued off the face of the earth? Two tech-savvy Congressman just might have an answer.

7. 

   19 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 2: The Dawn of the Internet

   We travel back in time to the birth of the world wide web to hear how the earliest forums sparked a war over the future of free speech on the internet.

8. 

   12 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 1: The Most Misunderstood Law on the Internet

   Pundits and politicians blame an obscure law for everything bad that happens online. What exactly is Section 230, and how did it spark a debate that could change the internet forever?

9. 

   25 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing Otherwise Objectionable

   In 1996, two Congressmen drafted a bill that would give us the internet as we know it. Now Democrats and Republicans want it gone. Follow the true story of the most misunderstood law on the internet starting March 12.

Inside a recent episode

Episode 8: Prescriptions to Save the Internet

Published 30 Apr 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And so a chance to kind of explore the details of what's really happening both with the, like, there are good things online and reminding people of the many good things online. And then also recognizing that, you know, it's simply wrong to blame to 30 for the problems that people see online. […]

Who has been a guest on Otherwise Objectionable

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Charles CW Cooke
• Dave Willner
• Mike Masnick
• Jessica Melugin

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

21 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

15

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact Otherwise Objectionable

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.