In the past few days the legacy of Noam Chomsky has been stirring renewed headlines and debate. Although the now near-centenarian linguist and critic has not made a major public appearance in the last 24 hours, Chomsky’s influence remains a frequent touchstone in world affairs and intellectual circles. Noam has not been spotted at recent events like the Wellfleet Public Library lecture series, nor is there public record of a new business or book launch since the summer, but his name and ideas have been very much alive in commentary about media, international law, and activism.

A feature essay by Robin D G Kelley in the Boston Review revisits Chomsky’s 1967 essay The Responsibility of Intellectuals and tracks the evolution of his position up to the present. Kelley underscores how, over fifty years on, Chomsky’s insistence that intellectuals must challenge state power and tell hard truths about war has grown only more relevant as the world faces what Kelley calls “the age of fascism and genocide.” The assassination of Osama bin Laden, Chomsky’s critique of that operation, and his refusal to conform to establishment narratives are dissected anew, reminding listeners why Chomsky remains both revered and controversial.

Social media and political writers continue to invoke Chomsky’s propaganda model. Canadian Dimension published a stark reflection on media coverage of conflict in Gaza, specifically crediting the Chomsky-Herman framework with exposing how powerful interests shape permissible narratives and limit the mainstream debate. Similarly, Pearls and Irritations reflects on Chomsky’s warnings about the normalization of misery, manufactured consent, and the accelerating risks of global climate change. A telling quote from Chomsky in early 2023—that “unless the US could be persuaded to cooperate with its adversaries and capitalism could be overthrown or ‘defanged’ there was little hope for survival”—still circulates as pundits weigh the worsening state of international order.

Although there are no confirmed reports of fresh interviews or tweets from Chomsky himself, his stature as a living witness and chronicler of dissent is constantly reinforced by colleagues and admirers. In a new CounterPunch tribute to the late Howard Zinn, Chomsky’s praise is quoted at length—describing Zinn’s power to teach, galvanize, and challenge injustices—a fitting echo of Chomsky’s own lifelong method. As Prospect Magazine debates the persistence of antisemitism and conspiracy in Europe, the use of Chomsky’s analytical legacy is again on display, showing that wherever the perennial struggle over truth and power is waged, his name is rarely far from the conversation.

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