Defend Free Speech! - Poster of the Week
- politicalgraphics
- Jul 25
- 2 min read
Free Speech
Eric Drooker
Linocut, circa 1999
Berkeley, CA
48790
CSPG’s Power of the Week acts as an electrifying beacon for free speech and justice. It has become more pertinent than ever as free speech continues to come under attack by the Trump administration.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Trump administration’s plan to cut $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The funding cut is part of larger efforts by the Trump administration to allegedly reduce government spending, even though the recently passed budget will add an additional $3.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Since January, all government funding cuts have targeted agencies that support the wellbeing of the majority of Americans.
CPB provides federal funds for invaluable and historic public media including National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Stations that serve rural areas and underserved audiences will likely be forced to shut down as a result of the funding withdrawal. Public media is important because it provides free, people-powered news and entertainment to local and nationwide audiences, separate from the influences of powerful corporations and politicians.
Influence of powerful corporations and pressure by the Trump administration has already led to censorship in corporate-funded media, as evidenced by the recent resignation of 60 Minutes head Bill Owens and the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Owens resigned in protest once it became clear that CBS was willing to pay out a settlement to Donald Trump over his lawsuit focused on an interview the show did with Kamala Harris last year. The lawsuit was standing in the way of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) approval of CBS’s $8 billion sale to Skydance media (whose owner, Larry Ellison, is close to Trump). Instead of standing up for free speech, CBS chose to pay $16 million to Donald Trump to settle his lawsuit.
Stephen Colbert called out this settlement as a “big fat bribe” on The Late Show. Just days after, Colbert’s show was cancelled “due to financial concerns,” despite the program being the most top rated show in its category.
The kneecapping of both public media and longstanding flagship news programs is no coincidence. It is part of the Trump administration’s continuing fascistic tactics to silence truth and critique.
Now is not the time to cower and bend the knee to threats against democracy. Rigorous, critical journalism is one of the foundations of democracy and must be supported and protected. Support your local public media and journalists! If you live in New York or California, urge your state politicians to investigate the bad faith silencing of outspoken media!
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Reading this is both alarming and infuriating - it’s a stark reminder of how fragile free speech can be when Retro Bowl politics and corporate interests collide. I can’t help but wonder, beyond public outcry and state-level investigations, what concrete steps can everyday people take right now to push back against this kind of coordinated silencing?