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TFAS Hits the Airwaves: Tune in to Hear How TFAS is Teaching Freedom

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The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is taking its message of teaching freedom to the airwaves through a new exclusive syndicated radio segment on the Dan Proft Show.

Hear the Latest Radio Segments

In December 2020, TFAS began collaborating with TFAS alumnus Dan Proft ’93 on his radio show to showcase how TFAS is promoting the ideas of limited government, free market economics and honorable leadership. Continuing in 2021, Proft and a special TFAS guest will discuss through weekly segments the many ways TFAS is equipping young leaders to champion these ideas across the country and throughout the world.

The first three segments in the series featured TFAS president Roger Ream ’76, who shared the importance of TFAS’s mission. Proft’s show airs on more than 60 stations nationwide, including online platforms, reaching listeners from Pittsburgh to Honolulu.

Promoting Ethical Journalism

In the first segment, which aired on Dec. 8, Ream and Proft discussed how TFAS educates aspiring journalists. In the face of the growing weaponization of free speech, an increase in agenda-setting media, and the lack of proper education in journalism, TFAS provides young journalists with the tools necessary to discern the facts, report with objectivity, think critically, and remain intellectually curious.

TFAS believes that providing journalists with a strong knowledge base in history, current events, culture, and the great ideas of our civilization are as important as writing and editing in the journalistic field. Ream explained that this is why TFAS created programs for college students and young professionals to learn ethics and economics. This foundation gives students a better understanding of moral reporting and prepares them to become great journalists.

Ream and Proft concluded this episode’s discussion with a reflection on the late Walter Williams and his impact on the world of economics.

He just had a great way of communicating economics. He was very empirically driven, but he also had very strong moral principles. He really believed in our Constitution and said that it’s our rule book.”  – Roger Ream ’76

“He just had a great way of communicating economics,” Ream shared. “He was very empirically driven, but he also had very strong moral principles. He really believed in our Constitution and said that it’s our rule book.”

Teaching America’s Founding Principles

Ream’s second segment aired on Dec. 15, national Bill of Rights Day. In this episode, Ream and Proft discussed the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which outline the American people’s basic rights and protect them from government encroachment. Ream also introduced TFAS’s Public Policy Fellowship program, which teaches young professionals about America’s founding principles and how to protect them in the present day.

Explaining the purpose of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Ream quoted TFAS lecturer Randy Barnett who said, “Our Constitution is the document that governs those who govern us.” Ream further explained that the Bill of Rights preserves our rights against infringement by the government. Ream explains that this is “why we started this Public Policy Fellows program…to make sure that young professionals in leadership positions understand our founding principles, which are under attack.”

Through a rigorous curriculum and monthly dialogue, TFAS Public Policy Fellows are exploring the “Experiment in Self-Government.” TFAS guides 15-20 young leaders each year through a series of workshops and seminars on the American Founding. Over the course of the Fellowship, TFAS provides Fellows with the tools to achieve their potential and change the world by promoting liberty in their careers.

Embracing Free Speech

On Jan. 4, Ream and Proft examined free speech and intellectual diversity. The pair debated the current state of affairs on college campuses where free speech is continually censored. Even the idea of America as a great nation is challenged by young adults these days. To counter this harmful culture, TFAS programs welcome young leaders from around the world and encourage them to maintain civil and respectful conversation, observe new opinions with an open mind, and ask questions to understand different perspectives.

It’s a shame that the current generation seems to be so triggered by someone expressing a viewpoint that they object to.” – Roger Ream ’76

Ream discussed the free speech movement at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s, which he believes helped shape essential dialogue in the U.S.

“It aimed to bring in speakers from all over the spectrum to let their voices be heard,” Ream shared. “It’s a shame that the current generation seems to be so triggered by someone expressing a viewpoint that they object to.”

This phenomena of imposing limits on free speech is not limited to university campuses, which is why TFAS programs impact both college students and young professionals alike. Ream shared how TFAS’s programs have a strong emphasis on free speech, challenging conversations and learning how to respond respectfully to contrasting opinions.


Dan Proft will continue to host more special TFAS guests in the coming weeks, so tune in each Tuesday to learn more about how TFAS is teaching freedom. Check back here every Thursday as new segments are released.

Latest Episodes

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Promoting Ethical Journalism

TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 appeared on TFAS alumnus Dan Proft’s ’93 radio show this week to discuss how TFAS is combatting media bias through our educational programs for young journalists. Roger shares our goal of equipping the next generation of responsible journalists with the skills they need to provide holistic, truthful reporting. During the conversation, Roger also shares a thoughtful tribute to the late Walter Williams.

Teaching America's Founding Principles

In this episode, Ream and Proft discussed the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which outline the American people’s basic rights and protect them from government encroachment. Ream also introduced TFAS’s Public Policy Fellowship program, which teaches young professionals about America’s founding principles and how to protect them in the present day.

Embracing Free Speech

On Jan. 4, Ream and Proft examined free speech and intellectual diversity. The pair debated the current state of affairs on college campuses where free speech is continually censored. Even the idea of America as a great nation is challenged by young adults these days. To counter this harmful culture, TFAS programs welcome young leaders from around the world and encourage them to maintain civil and respectful conversation, observe new opinions with an open mind, and ask questions to understand different perspectives.

First Amendment Freedoms

TFAS Vice President Steve Slattery joined alumnus Dan Proft ’93 for a segment of the Dan Proft Show to discuss how TFAS is teaching young leaders around the world the importance of our First Amendment freedoms in the U.S. The actions of social media platforms banning certain users begs the question of whether this is a restriction on free speech and how we can ensure the preservation of the freedoms given to us in the First Amendment.

Teaching Economics

Not only does TFAS offer international programs, journalism fellowships, and programs in Washington, D.C., it also offers programs for high schoolers and high school teachers across the country. Foundation for Teaching Economics Executive Director Ted Tucker joined the Dan Proft Show to share how TFAS’s high school division is shaping young leaders and reaching high school educators through our summer high school economics programs.

Capitalism and the Moral Order

Don Devine made an appearance on this episode of the Dan Proft Show to discuss the capitalist system. Devine explains that capitalism needs a moral order to function well and that higher education is partly to blame for the misconceptions many young people have of capitalism. Devine recognizes that the current system is outdated, so he published a book describing how to amend it, titled "The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order."

Pursuing the Truth

In this episode of the Dan Proft Show, TFAS Director of Journalism + Communications and U.S. Programs Joe Starrs explains how TFAS teaches honorable leadership through journalism. In the Journalism + Communications program, TFAS instructs young journalists to pursue the truth regardless of personal opinions, report rather than interpret, and go beyond the current politics of journalism. Starrs provides an insider look at this crucial TFAS program - listen to the episode by clicking the button below.

Lessons from Venezuela

Venezuelan asylum seekers Andrés Guilarte and Jorge Galicia share the mic to explain the danger of socialism through the lens of the Venezuelan reality. The pair spoke about TFAS’s college campus tour and how they are warning college students throughout the U.S. about the true impact of socialism. Guilarte and Galicia explore the "It can't happen here" mindset, misinformation, the dangers of democratic socialism, identity politics and more in this segment.

Law and Liberty

Ilya Shapiro, member of the TFAS Law Board of Visitors, took the mic this week to discuss the constitutionality of impeachment and share details of TFAS's Summer Law Fellowship. He discussed the role of partisanship in the impeachment proceedings and the nature of impeachment as a political remedy rather than a criminal prosecution. Shapiro then explained our Law Fellowship, a nine-week program for law students to enrich their education through classes, internships and extracurricular activities over the summer.

Understanding Economic Realities

TFAS Academic Director Dr. Anne Bradley joined the show this week to discuss economic realities and the way TFAS teaches economics in engaging and relatable ways. Proft and Dr. Bradley began the episode with an examination of the dangers of ethnomathematics, which implies we can all come to our own conclusions about anything, even objective facts and truths about the way the world works. Dr. Bradley then explained how to match intentions with the fundamental principles of economics and how TFAS teaches young people to understand truth and reality.

Equipping Young Leaders

In this episode, TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 discusses the current state of affairs in the United States and how TFAS is preparing young people to become dynamic change-makers and influential leaders. Proft and Ream examine recent media tactics and information-sharing trends, especially as they relate to the policing of free speech. Ream closes the interview by explaining how TFAS reaches students and young adults with the potential to become courageous leaders and prepares them to generate positive change in their own communities.

Journalistic Integrity

TFAS Journalism Fellowships Director Dan McCarthy joined Dan Proft to discuss journalistic standards, objective journalism, and reliable reporting in this episode of The Dan Proft Show. The pair discussed the unfortunate reality of the mutual manipulation between sources and journalists often seen today. McCarthy described how TFAS's Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship was designed to convey Robert Novak’s values of objectivity and fact-based reporting to counter this harmful journalistic culture. He explained that the Novak Fellowship provides funding for individual journalists to work on independent projects, which helps preserve journalistic integrity.

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