Does the First Amendment guarantee a television host’s job security? Former Boston CN8 anchor Barry Nolan suggests just that.
Right of center Fox News host Bill O’Reilly recently received the Governors’ Award at the Boston/New England Chapter Emmy Awards. The local CN8 anchor objected to O’Reilly’s honor and passed out the public details of O’Reilly’s sexual harassment lawsuit. CN8 subsequently fired Mr. Nolan.
Nolan aired his protest on the left-wing website ThinkProgress.org claiming free speech has become a "myth" adding "in today’s America, speech is only ‘free’ when you are talking down to someone less powerful than you."
Unless Mr. Nolan is penning this letter from a prison cell, his free speech rights have not been violated. As an American, he certainly has the right to speak out against Bill O’Reilly. However, anchoring a news show is a privilege, not a right. CN8 had the right to fire Barry Nolan for his actions.
Nolan continued airing typical leftist talking points that journalists are intimidated from reporting the "truth" on Iraq and the War on Terror.
"We are called traitors if we simply speak the truth about the absence of WMD’s" [This journalist is not looking hard enough, that was all over the news] "the way the war is going" [He’s correct on this account. News coverage of Iraq has declined as the situation in Iraq improved] "the disgraces of Abu Ghraib" [32 consecutive front page stories in "The New York Times" wasn’t enough?] "of Gitmo, of waterboarding. Shut up."
Nolan concluded his article with a clever "if anyone needs any lawn work or his or her car detailed-give me a call." Perhaps Mr. Nolan, while searching for his next job, can research the First Amendment and know for the future, hosting a television show is not a right.
