"Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, joked about having an administration-compliant show, joining several commentaries on free speech and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel on ABC. We have another fun, hilarious, administration-compliant show. All this swirling around are the naysayers and the critics right? Is Donald Trump stifling free speech? Of course not, Jon. Americans are free to express any opinion we want. To suggest otherwise is laughable. That is blatant censorship, and it always starts small."
"Sure, seems harmless, but with an autocrat, you cannot give an inch. If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive. You can't go around firing somebody because you're fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."
Jon Stewart framed television as potentially administration-compliant while connecting the issue to free-speech concerns over Jimmy Kimmel's suspension on ABC. Commentators questioned whether Donald Trump or his administration stifled speech, while asserting that Americans remain free to express opinions. Critics characterized the suspension as an early form of censorship that can escalate if left unchecked. Observers pointed to symbolic shifts during Week One of the presidency as evidence that small concessions invite larger authoritarian demands. Networks were urged not to preemptively fire voices out of fear or to curry favor, with the F.C.C. named as a possible future regulator if industry self-regulation fails.
Read at www.nytimes.com
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