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Media covers a protest in front of the Supreme Court (Photo by Stefani Reynolds) — Photo by Stefani Reynolds

The First Amendment protects freedom of the press so journalists can inform the public.

“Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”

Freedom of the press is essential for your right to know. It means that journalists are free to gather and report information without fear of punishment or reprisals, that whistleblowers and other sources can speak to reporters to reveal important information the public needs to know, and that the government operates transparently, not in secret.

Submit a comment to the FCC

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Edit this message so that it is unique to you: I am writing in support of ABC and KTRK-TV’s petition for a declaratory ruling concerning “The View.” I urge the FCC to reaffirm its long-standing precedent regarding The View’s eligibility for the bona fide news exemption. News interview programming keeps public debate alive by connecting Americans directly with elected officials, candidates, policymakers, experts, and other public figures — and interviewers need editorial independence to do it. Journalists and producers, not government regulators, should decide what is newsworthy and which speakers to platform. The FCC has long been guided by principles of editorial independence, viewpoint neutrality, and open democratic discourse in its approach to bona fide news programming. Determining that “The View” no longer qualifies for the exemption it was granted by the FCC over 20 years ago would be at odds with decades of FCC precedent, as well as the First Amendment. Reversing course at this time would constitute unconstitutional retaliation for ABC’s exercise of its First Amendment rights. President Donald Trump has a long-standing grudge against ABC due to his dislike of its coverage of his administration, and FCC Chair Brendan Carr has made abundantly clear that he supports Trump’s goal of silencing his critics and reshaping the media — and ABC specifically — to be more friendly to Trump and his agenda. In fact, Carr has expressly refused to characterize his FCC as independent from Trump and even scrubbed references to independence from the commission’s website. No matter what justification the commission offers, the American public will understand that any actions the FCC takes against ABC or “The View” are politically motivated censorship. As Carr himself once said, the FCC “does not have a roving mandate to police speech.” I urge you to grant ABC and KTRK-TV’s petition. URLs are not allowed in this message.

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