Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press

FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

HON. SAM FARR

OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, November 7, 1997 FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I want to address the for a time about the sanctity of one of America's most treasured rights: the. Freedom of speech is central to most every other right that we hold dear in the United States and serves to strengthen the of our great country. It is unfortunate, then, when actions occur that might be interpreted as contrary to this honored tenet. Currently there is a dispute between s in my district and the new owners of newspapers. All employees of the newspaper were required to reapply for their jobs when the new owners took over the paper. Several of the employees&mdash;some of them prize-winning journalists&mdash;were not rehired. This action has left many in the community feeling that the newspaper is acting unfairly toward the reporters and fearing that it will affect the tenor of the news reported. Further there are suspicions that the owners may be engaging in antiunion efforts, casting further pall on the ability of the paper to serve the reading public. I urge every American&mdash;no matter the position they hold in this society of ours&mdash;to carefully consider the actions they take when those actions concern the dissemination of public information. Freedom of speech and are much too powerful rights to be lost to squabbles over the union or nonunion status of employees. They are too basic to the structure and fabric of American life to fall victim to bottom line dollar equations. I know the fired employees and the new owners of the Herald continue to negotiate over this matter. I am hopeful that the two sides can come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement that leaves the journalists reporting, the paper profiting, and the reading public informed.

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