Right-wing cancel culture and free speech
Demands to fire people for their opinion have ramped up after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who talked a lot about the importance of open debate.
Listen 51:12
Free speech and cancel culture. Now, the right is calling for people to be cancelled, fired and potentially investigated by federal agencies for what they say online.
Conservative politicians and pundits are calling for people to be fired or canceled in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. News commentators, academics, and everyday citizens who criticized Kirk, or were accused of “celebrating” his death, are being singled out and publicly shamed.
Vice President J.D. Vance urged people to report anyone disparaging Kirk to their employers. In just the past few days, we’ve seen an MSNBC analyst lose his job, American Airlines pilots grounded, an Office Depot worker fired, and a Washington Post columnist dismissed. And longer lists of “targets” are now circulating online.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Trump administration would crack down on hate speech directed at Kirk, prompting backlash from both the left and right over potential free speech violations. She has since walked back those comments. Still, President Donald Trump has stated that the administration will begin investigating far-left organizations in connection with Kirk’s assassination.
This episode: Is the Right embracing the same “cancel culture” it spent the last decade condemning? And what does all this say about the current state of free speech in America?
Guests:
Will Creeley, legal director at Fire
Christine Flowers, columnist
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