How far are people willing to go to protect the First Amendment? Most conservatives sitting over coffee or a couple of beers or on a post on X would say that they would defend freedom of speech to their last breath. Most progressives would say the same thing, with the caveat that they get to determine what constitutes free speech. It is a safe bet that they would take a stand on the matter to protect their freedom of speech, but that is another column for another time.
Suppose for just a moment that whatever is left of your life savings, your home, your children's well-being, and even your freedom were suddenly part of the wager? How tempted would you be to look the other way?
Catherine Herridge knows a thing or two about that. She was on Capitol Hill Thursday morning, testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. The hearing, titled “Fighting for a Free Press: Protecting Journalists and their Sources,” was intended to examine how the federal government affects the freedom of the press and how journalists handle confidential sources.
According to The Wrap, Herridge expressed her support for the bipartisan Press Act. Here is a clip from her testimony.
Herridge faces contempt of court charges at a price tag of $800 per day for not revealing a confidential source in a news story about a Chinese spy. That spy was also under investigation by the FBI. Herridge had been working for CBS, and the company seized her records pertaining to the story. She commented:
Forcing a reporter to disclose content sources would have a crippling effect on investigative journalism because, without reliable assurances of confidentiality, sources will not come forward. The First Amendment provides protections for the press because an Informed Electorate is at the foundation of our democracy.
"If confidential sources are not protected, I fear investigative journalism is dead," she added. "Each day, I feel the weight of this responsibility.
And in some cases, the government is not the only problem. Herridge noted that CBS not only seized her files but also locked her out of the building. Herridge said that crossed a red line that "should never be crossed again."
On Monday, NPR rose to its own defense in the wake of Uri Berliner's damning essay about the outlet. In a staff memo, news executive Edith Chapin wrote:
We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories. We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world. None of our work is above scrutiny or critique. We must have vigorous discussions in the newsroom about how we serve the public as a whole.
NPR staffers said they were frustrated that Berliner had not asked for comments before publishing the piece and that the outlet was not given any advance notice. Others were upset that Berliner talked about the network's approach to diversity. Of course, NPR abandoned all pretense of neutrality years ago, which I find unfortunate. But with the Media Industrial Complex working to control the truth, who needs the government?
Of course, the government is not exactly riding the bench. In a recent podcast with The Daily Signal, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) warned that the weaponization of the federal government is only getting worse. Bishop specifically mentioned the White House’s efforts to have social media platforms censor information about COVID-19 vaccines and the FBI misusing database information against American citizens.
Controlling access to information is not just the act of would-be totalitarians. It is also the act of cowards to whom the truth is a frightening thing.
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