“Mic Drop or Muzzle? Disney’s Free Speech Moment”
Free speech in America is supposed to be untouchable, but lately it feels like someone’s trying to slip duct tape over the nation’s mouth. Case in point: more than 100 former ABC News journalists just sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger urging him to defend press freedom with the full force of the Magic Kingdom.
The letter landed after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly pulled from the air last week, sparking outrage and relief when it returned. The journalists praised Iger for standing up but warned that this is only the opening act: “The First Amendment is not negotiable.”
The signers include legends like Sam Donaldson, Judy Muller, and Kayce Freed Jennings, who argue Disney’s settlement with President Trump last year has emboldened him to ramp up his attacks on the press. Their message: if Disney caves to political intimidation, it’s not just comedians who’ll be gagged—it’s the nation’s watchdogs.
Kimmel himself used his return monologue to torch Trump’s tactics, accusing him of trying to bully networks into silence. Trump, predictably, fired back online, calling ABC’s actions “illegal contributions”—without evidence.
ABC has kept reporting, including Jon Karl’s piece on Trump’s crusade for “retribution” and a Pentagon policy proposal critics say looks more Moscow than Washington.
The fight boils down to this: free speech isn’t a luxury, it’s the oxygen of democracy. And if Disney blinks, America risks holding its breath.
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