Erosion of Freedom of Expression in America

I had an interesting experience recently that underscored how aggressively some people in today’s America want to shut down free and open discussion, especially if it seems to challenge their self-important decisions, in my opinion.

WAMU radio - the publicly funded, NPR affiliate in Washington - announced it was making some changes associated with the introduction of high definition (HD) radio.  

Yet, what they did not mention in their announcement was a plan to drop at least four NPR national newscasts on the half-hour each weekday morning (or at least 20 a week) during NPR’s Morning Edition, starting September 17, and replace them with their own local version of rip-’n-read news.

WAMU claims to be the “NPR News Station in the Nation’s Capital.” But the station is now clearly not living up to its brand promise to listeners and funders. 

They did not mention dropping the NPR newscasts, I am guessing, because there would be public outcry. And, there have been objections — from the public and, I understand, from officials at NPR. Washington, D.C., is a news town, and NPR is a major and credible established news source. WAMU seemingly has missed that important point.

I discussed the problem with friends and, because I know how, I launched a blog - WAMUWatch.com. The blog presented the issue straight-forwardly and with balance and asked for comments from anyone. When the comments flooded in (including a statement from the station), so did a veiled threat from the station of legal action. Rather than do battle, I pulled the plug on the blog and redirected the URL to their competitor, a station that recognizes the importance of airing the NPR newscasts.

There’s a two-word line that comes to mind that Martin Sheen said while playing the role of President in the TV series, The West Wing, when someone arrogantly challenged freedom of speech … but I am not going to use it here. Email me to find out.