By Joe Rector
The Knoxville Focus weekly newspaper is where I had the first opportunity to publish any kind of work. I am forever grateful to Steve Hunley, Charmin Foth and Marianne Dedmon for the support they have offered over my tenure with The Focus.
Most of the columns that I’ve submitted have been cleaned up and published. On occasion, I step a bit over the line, and it’s then that the reins are pulled in. I acknowledge my mistake and continue to write freely. The keyword here is “freely.” My leanings and those of others aren’t always the same. Even so, I feel comfortable taking on most any topic that comes to mind.
I’m worried right now about the right of free speech in our country. For those who haven’t read that constitutional amendment, it “protects the right to express opinions without government interference.” Of late, that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening.
For most of my life, I’ve known that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has overseen the media, which includes radio, television, the Internet, and cable sources. The commission assigns licenses to those entities that meet specific qualifications.
My only dealings with the FCC came when I traveled to Atlanta to take a test to become a disc jockey. I’d studied information that others had given me, and I felt sure I would soon be booming my voice over the airwaves of WTTU in Cookeville. When I began the test, panic set in. None of the materials others had given me included a single thing about Ohms. However, the test I took was loaded with questions about them. I had no idea what an ohm was, and my failing score proved it. I still don’t know why I needed to know about ohms, units of electrical resistance. I wanted to spin records and talk, not become an electrical engineer.
I know that licenses can be pulled by the FCC for breaking certain rules. The one I most often think about is the use of profanity over the airwaves. “The Late Show” with Johnny Carson sometimes had its plug pulled when a guest used a bad word or told an offensive joke. Other than that, I don’t know of any other punitive actions taken by the commission.
Now, however, the FCC seems to be overstepping its bounds. It has begun using a heavy hand to keep programs in line. Late night talk shows have been the main targets. Jimmy Kimmel was removed from the air when his monologues proved too much for some to take. Steven Colbert has been dismissed completely from his television show. Supposedly, the program is not profitable, but more than likely, Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief at CBS, is pulling back the way the network works. She has curtailed news reporting to a “more fair and balanced presentation.” Many suspect political influences have pushed such an approach. Colbert’s interview with candidate James Talarico was pulled by the network after pressure from other sources. For years, talk shows have interviewed guests from both sides of the aisle. Not until now has the cry for equal time been raised by the FCC.
I, for one, abhor the intrusion of the FCC into such small things as late-night interviews. When a government institution begins fiddling with such matters, I see it as the beginning of our loss of free speech. The way of handling objectionable interviews is much simpler: change the channel. My right to speak freely should not be interfered with by the government or institutions or individuals. Our papers should never be censored, nor should our television newscasts or talk shows be politically correct in order to be aired.
I know that if we Americans ever become so complacent that we fail to fight for our freedom of speech, our country will sink into a form of government that is much like the one in Russia or China. Freedom of speech is what makes the bells of liberty ring.
