Florida legislation backed by Ron DeSantis threatens to limit public discourse as we know it.
Any citizen who treasures the right to speak freely should resist politicians like Mr. DeSantis who want to silence them. |
 | | Illustration by Rebecca Chew/The New York Times; photograph by Biwa Studio, via Getty Images |
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The press gets a special mention in the First Amendment, but it doesn't hold a monopoly on free expression in the United States. As the Times editorial board writes today, lawmakers who take aim at the news media for political gain often wind up attacking the speech rights of ordinary citizens, hurting the ability of all Americans to raise their voices. |
The board is highly critical of a new bill in the Florida legislature, based on the goals of Gov. Ron DeSantis, that would upend a pillar of First Amendment law: the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case called The New York Times Company v. Sullivan, which paved the way for decades of strong investigative reporting by making it harder for public figures to sue news organizations for defamation. The Florida bill would sharply limit those protections, in line with DeSantis's long-running disdain for the press. |
The bill's real impact, however, would go well beyond curbing what publishers could print without fear of damages. As the board writes, "The bill represents a dangerous threat to free expression in the United States, not only for the news media, but for all Americans, whatever their political beliefs." |
Anyone who posts a critical comment about a public figure on social media, or criticizes an official at a school board meeting, could be subject to an immediate lawsuit and would not have the special protection that the Supreme Court has given to this kind of speech. Any person accused of bigotry based on sexual orientation or gender identity would be able to file a defamation lawsuit and have a virtual guarantee of winning by saying the discrimination was based on personal religious or scientific beliefs. |
Citizens of many countries wish they had the right to free expression that Americans have, particularly when it comes to criticizing the government. That right is suddenly facing a new threat, and if it is upheld in the courts, the damage won't be limited to Florida. |
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