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Radio Sputnik - DC's Kremlin Radio

OK, Let's say you are on the air doing a talk show. Someone calls in to promote the local Ku Klux Klan. You slam the phone and cut him off.

Does that mean you infringed on his freedom of speech?
Just taking the definition of freedom of speech at its most basic, face value level, the answer is yes. Just like if I cuss out my boss he can fire me. You don't have freedom of speech at work. You don't have it in school to a certain extent. You don't have it at home if you're a kid. There are many places where you don't have freedom of speech. I can't demand that the local top rated station hire me so I can talk on the air.

But that doesn't mean that your First Amendment rights are being violated. First Amendment rights come into play if an arm of the government is regulating or banning speech, usually public speech. Any arm of the government decides to ban someone's speech, they'd better have a really good and solid reason that will pass muster with the Supreme Court of the United States, because the Supreme Court does not take the First Amendment lightly.
 
How is selling airtime to Russia about free speech? Putin has the power of speech instead of the radio station. That makes the station into a puppet. A puppet can't claim free speech because a puppet is a puppet.
It's the freedom of the station to broadcast what it wants, where the only limitations are Federal broadcast laws, and FCC regulations, that have been already deemed Constitutional.

I know it seems incongruous, and you don't like the idea of it. I get it.

But this Sputnik thing isn't the only sticky issue concerning speech and radio. A lot of people don't like some of the negative messages about Covid and the vaccines that are spun on some conservative radio programs. People on here have stated they think such speech promotes death... and they may indeed have a point. They think such speech should be banned. But that probably would involve Federal lawsuits.
 
It's the freedom of the station to broadcast what it wants, where the only limitations are Federal broadcast laws, and FCC regulations, that have been already deemed Constitutional.

I know it seems incongruous, and you don't like the idea of it. I get it.

But this Sputnik thing isn't the only sticky issue concerning speech and radio. A lot of people don't like some of the negative messages about Covid and the vaccines that are spun on some conservative radio programs. People on here have stated they think such speech promotes death... and they may indeed have a point. They think such speech should be banned. But that probably would involve Federal lawsuits.
As a broadcaster, I may not think a radio station should take Russian money at the same time that our country is trying to put economic sanctions on Russia.

But, I must commend you for presenting your side in a civil manner. More of us need to follow your example.
 
As a broadcaster, I may not think a radio station should take Russian money at the same time that our country is trying to put economic sanctions on Russia.

But, I must commend you for presenting your side in a civil manner. More of us need to follow your example.
Thanks for the kind words, Harvey. I try.
 
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