Freedom Isn't Free, But Speech Is Supposed to Be

This weekend’s “Hands Off!” demonstrations, which reportedly took place in over 1,400 locations, were an encouraging sight. Not only did they highlight the varied responses to the current president and his administration, but they reminded us once again of the importance of the First Amendment to the Constitution — which says that the government may not impose laws that restrict people’s freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petitioning the government for redress of grievances. It’s important to note, as we see various green card holders being detained for speaking out against the government, that broadly, these freedoms extend to citizens and noncitizens alike (with some exceptions for noncitizens).

Out on the streets, people this weekend exercised their right to peacefully assemble, and to speak their minds. These are crucial tools for a free and fair democracy.

Maintaining an independent press is another one.

If you’ve been following the ouster of the Associated Press from the White House press pool, then you might understand, in one very real way, how those freedoms are being impinged upon as we speak. After the AP refused to alter the name of the Gulf of Mexico, the White House retaliated by removing the AP from the body that covers the movements of the president. The AP’s coverage of national news is picked up by thousands of news outlets around the nation and run in local newspapers and on local TV news stations. This form of retaliation has very real effects on Americans’ ability to understand their government.

And even while some First Amendment rights are being challenged by certain branches of government, other branches seem to be working in the opposite direction. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is among the co-sponsors of a resolution that designates April 2025 as Preserving and Protecting Local News Month.

“Trump has made it painfully clear he thrives best in dark, deceitful places, which is why I’ll keep spotlighting our First Amendment rights whenever they are threatened by authoritarian wannabes,” Wyden wrote in a statement.

In the Oregon State Legislative Assembly, a bill circulating this session seeks to compensate Oregon news outlets for the value they provide to online platforms that share their work. Senate Bill 686 would make large online platforms pay some of the revenue they earn from digital advertising into a fund for online news providers, or make them donate to a new group for civic information. Essentially, the bill is a way for news outlets to recoup some of the lost advertising revenue that’s been gobbled up by social media — where gaining clicks by whatever means necessary, rather than rigorous fact-checking, has been the goal.

If Big Tech has forgotten the value of local news, plenty of people haven’t. Local news is the place for people to gain valuable insight into the places they live, to understand how their local governments are working on their behalf and to learn more about the real-life people being affected by executive orders at the federal level. The Washington Post’s motto is “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” and that feels all the more relevant today.

Efforts like these from inside and outside the government are heartening because they signal that for every attempt at trampling on the First Amendment, or at devaluing local news, there are counter efforts, as well. There’s only so much despair and languor one can take.

As Charlie Chaplin but it in “Monsieur Verdoux”: “Despair is a narcotic. It lulls the mind into indifference.”

Whether it’s in the form of mass demonstrations, Senate resolutions or state-level bills that aim to level the playing field for local news outlets, we welcome these antidotes. A few more are welcome anytime.

This article appears in Source Weekly April 10, 2025.