House Dems’ Misguided Effort to Muzzle Conservative Media | RealClearPolitics
Using government to restrict wrong speech creates a chilling effect. People will get the message that they don t deserve to express themselves in the public sphere. Doing so may reduce divisiveness, but only in the way that nations like Russia, China, and Iran avoid divisive public debates.
If patriotism and respect for diversity aren t reasons enough for the mainstream press to pause its attack on free speech, perhaps its self-interest will be. Trump was accused of targeting journalists, but it was the Obama administration that actually wiretapped them. What if a future populist, conservative president followed Obama s path but went one step further, ordering the FCC to cancel outlets that allowed a commentator s undesirable opinion to be heard? If free speech can be tossed aside on a whim, not only the left will use that power.
Those in the media and on Capitol Hill who misunderstand free speech are making a grave mistake. They should drop their dangerous demands before they cause irreparable damage to our democracy and to our society.
I never thought we’d have to fight this battle again. But in fact we are fated to fight the same battles over and over.