The recent terrorist attack on a Parisian satirical newspaper, the North Korean hacking of Sony Pictures, and Washington’s political debates over campaign speech, media activities, and internet regulations have a common thread. They all constitute an assault on the First Amendment.
The readiness of far too many to surrender to the totalitarian demands of Jihadists have only encouraged actions such as that levied against France’s Charlie Hebdo, a humorous journal.
Many media outlets which do not display any second thoughts about critical portrayals of Christianity, Judaism, or other religions balk at any negative commentary about Islam, despite the prevalence of Jihadists who have hijacked much of that faith for their own warped goals. The violent attacks in Paris and elsewhere by terrorists, as well as pressure from “political correctness” vigilantes in the media and academia give rise to this culture of submission.
Astoundingly, many media outlets, in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack, concentrated on warning against a “backlash” instead of devoting more column space to the increasingly frail state of free speech. Far too few share the courage of that publication’s Stephanie Chardonnier, who in 2012 proclaimed that she would “rather die standing than live on my knees.”
For most Americans, the sacrosanct status of free speech has frequently been given no more daily attention than the existence of oxygen. Certainly, it has been understood that the lack of that right in many nations around the world is an unfortunate reality, but it was generally assumed that didn’t affect U.S. citizens in any direct manner.
That assumption can no longer be considered correct, if, indeed, it ever had any validity. Dictators and extremists across the planet realize that the First Amendment is a threat to their rule, and are actively taking steps against it. In the Internet age, they comprehend, freedom of speech originating in one venue cannot be contained.
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Examples abound. It is highly unlikely that the Sony movie portraying Kim Jong-un in a satirical manner would ever be shown within the “Hermit Kingdom’s” borders. But the mere existence of it elsewhere was viewed as a threat by Pyongyang’s leadership. This is not the first time that overseas pressure has affected U.S. filmmakers. The re-make of the cult classic, “Red Dawn,” which originally featured a storyline of a Chinese invasion of America, was amended to not offend Beijing.
Many universities have actively restricted the rights of students who publicly state positions that campus officials disagree with.
In 2014, Senator Charles Schumer introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate to limit the First Amendment to allow greater control of spending during campaigns. The measure, supported by 43 Democrats and opposed by all Republicans, was defeated, but the message was chilling: the First Amendment is no longer sacrosanct.
Free speech advocates have been equally disturbed by several White House regulatory actions. The FCC’s attempt to place “monitors” in newsrooms was knocked down, but not permanently ruled out, following vehement public objections.
This reduced devotion to free speech has not gone unnoticed by forces of repression across the globe. Like predators closing in on weakened prey, they are emboldened to attack, and will continue to expand their aggression until governments, universities, and the press regain their courage and forcefully push back against those who would eliminate free speech.