The CASE against censorship: Daisy Ruddock on SLAPPs and free expression

The CASE against censorship

In this episode, we speak with Daisy Ruddock, Coordinator of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) and policy advocate at Index on Censorship, about the rise of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation — better known as SLAPPs — and how they are used to intimidate, silence, and exhaust journalists, activists, and whistleblowers across Europe. Daisy walks us through the origins of CASE, how the coalition works across borders to expose legal harassment, and what it means to defend the right to speak truth to power. From the chilling personal impact of lawsuits to the state of anti-SLAPP legislation at the EU level, this is a deep dive into the frontline of the battle for press freedom. We also talk about CASE’s “Gallery of Shame,” the EU’s anti-SLAPP directive, and what it means to stand in solidarity when intimidation becomes systemic. A must-listen for anyone interested in justice, media freedom, and the price of dissent.

🎙️ Produced by Georgios Karagiorgos for European Youth Press and Pulse-Z

What Is Vox Civica?

Vox Civica-Where Democracy has a Voice is a podcast about how democracy is lived, tested, and reinvented in the modern world. It brings listeners inside the conversations and conflicts that define civic life today — from the streets where protests begin to the institutions where policies take shape. Each episode features voices from across journalism, activism, academia, and digital-rights movements, exploring how people confront power, defend freedoms, and adapt democratic values to an age of surveillance, misinformation, and rapid technological change. In short, it’s a space where critical thinking meets civic imagination — tracing the struggles, ideas, and collaborations that keep democracy alive in the 21st century.