Commentary by Rick Adams, FRAeS
As a journalist, I am alarmed by the latest attacks on Free Speech in the US. The Administration is blatantly threatening to make illegal written, spoken or graphic messages with which they may disagree.
The effect will be, and already is, chilling. Major media outlets have capitulated to frivolous lawsuits for fear of financial retribution. Legitimate news reporters are being replaced in the access pool by loyalist ‘influencers.’ The ultimate effect will be sanitized, state-crafted propaganda.
Perhaps worse, publishers/ editors/ writers will increasingly self-censor, lest they offend officials or some customers.
I wrote a story earlier this year about French scientists being detained on arrival in the US, enroute to a conference where they were scheduled to speak. (I happened to be the conference leader and had invited them.) Lanyards, Revolutions, Internationals and Ugly Stepchildren – AVIATION VOICES. The publisher, for whom I have written for 27 years, initially ran the feature online as written, but then a day or so later removed the 3rd “takeaway” section which referenced the border kerfuffle. Concerned, perhaps, that awareness of such anti-visitor policies will discourage international speakers and attendees from future US conferences.
The following month, I filed a story from the European Business Aviation conference in Switzerland, where the dominant discussion throughout the Geneva venue was the new American tariffs – Tariff Vortex for EU Business Aviation – AVIATION VOICES. My longtime publisher declined to post the piece altogether.
This is the same publisher who, many years ago, stood by me when I wrote a feature about Boeing doubling the price of aircraft data for use in flight simulators when they introduced the 787. As a major advertiser and conference exhibitor, Boeing was not happy.
What changed over the years? Ideology? Courage?
If writers and publishers don’t stand up for Free Speech, who will?