It’s your right to know

Freedom of speech has always been an issue of controversy. Every individual thinks differently about what is appropriate to say or do. CBS, for example, thinks it is inappropriate to run a commercial pointing out President Bush’s one trillion dollar deficit, while many American viewers believe it is both necessary and appropriate for this message to be viewed on public airwaves.
Recently, CBS refused to air a commercial on public television. This commercial called attention to President Bush’s one trillion dollar debt by showing children of today working in minimum wage jobs in order to work off the president’s deficit. There is no untruthfulness to the commercial, no lies or underlying meanings, only fact. When I saw this commercial via the internet, I did not think it was tasteless. Because it was direct and to the point, I can see why Bush supporters would have a problem with it. However, the commercial itself is someone’s vision. No one should be able to say it is wrong or that it is not worthy of air time.
This commercial not being aired is an infringement on our right to freedom of speech and expression. CBS can determine what they put on their air waves, but they do not have the right to censor someone else’s right to free speech. If the commercial was untruthful in any way then I could understand why CBS would not want to run it, but this is not the case. The only thing wrong is that CBS, being an avid Bush supporter, does not agree with the message and sees it as a direct blow to the Bush administration. It is no secret that Bush has created more national debt and we have a right to know what is going on in our country.
Other networks have made statements saying that they would air the commercial. By making this statement, they are strengthening the freedom of speech movement. The air waves in this country are public; anything can be put on the air if it is appropriate for the audience. If all political statements were censored, almost all of the politicians in this country would have a problem conveying their issues. Television has become a way to communicate ideas and opinions to large audiences. How are we supposed to illustrate different ideas if they are being censored by one monopolizing body?
Right now it’s only a commercial, but what’s next? If we allow television companies to be influenced by the government, who knows what could happen in the years to come. Keeping our First Amendment rights is a never ending fight because what is considered appropriate changes from day to day. If we want to keep this freedom as our own, it is our responsibility to make sure it is not taken from us.
*To see the commercial about which I’ve written and to add your opinion on the subject, you can visit http://www.moveon.org/cbs/ad/.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 6 2004. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry