In his second Inaugural Address, President Donald Trump, who had campaigned against "cancel culture," vowed to prohibit "government censorship" and promote "free speech." This week, the president celebrated ABC's indefinite suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's show.

Washington

A recent analysis by New York Times writer-at-large Jim Rutenberg discusses the current state of free speech in the United States, highlighting actions taken by President Trump and their impact on media institutions. The report notes that, despite pledges to end government censorship and restore free expression, the administration has pursued legal and regulatory measures against media outlets and personalities critical of the president.

The indefinite suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel by ABC, following comments about a public figure, is cited as an example of this trend. The analysis also references multimillion-dollar settlements won from CBS and ABC, as well as lawsuits against the New York Times, suggesting an intensified crackdown on dissenting voices. The situation has raised concerns about the future of free speech in the country.

Analysis: Future of free speech in America

After another week of turmoil and tension in America, New York Times writer-at-large Jim Rutenberg has this analysis on the suspension of late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. President Trump got thunderous applause during his second inaugural address when he vowed to immediately stop all government censorship and bring free speech back to America. After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America. It was part of the free speech refrain of his long march out of the political wilderness and his broadsides against cancel culture. Yet now he is conducting the most punishing crackdown against American media institutions in modern times, using what seems like every tool at his disposal to silence reporting and commentary that he disagrees with. ABC's decision on Wednesday to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show for comments he made about Charlie Kirk's assassin showed Trump's strategy so far. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago. So, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent. Far from deploring the silencing of a comedian, the president celebrated Kimmel's suspension, calling it great news for America. Trump had already used his leverage to win multimillion-dollar settlements from CBS and ABC in suits that, according to legal experts, faced long odds in court. When the president sued my own company this past week, the New York Times, his lawyers pointed to the settlements from CBS and ABC as a vindication that his suits were highly meritorious. All they do is hit Trump. They're licensed. They're not allowed to do that. They're an arm of the Democrat Party. On Thursday, President Trump called Jimmy Kimmel a whack job and said that regulators should revoke broadcast licenses over other late-night hosts who are critical of him. And that will bring the country into uncharted new territory, with the future of free speech in America hanging in the balance. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the suspension of talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves and said TV broadcasters should lose their licenses over negative coverage of his administration, adding fuel to a national debate over free speech.

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