In a country that prides itself on freedom of speech and expression, many voices are being silenced. The First Amendment of our Constitution gives American citizens the right to free speech, and allows news outlets to report information and opinions freely. This prevents the government from censoring or controlling what the media can say unless it poses a clear threat to the safety, security, or the rights of others. However, over the past few months the Trump Administration has been under scrutiny for accusations of abusing these First Amendment rights.
For instance, it has been confirmed that the President took action to sue both The New York Times and Penguin Random House for news reports and analysis that he personally disagreed with. Christopher Anders, director of the Democracy and Technology Division at the American Civil Liberties Union, spoke on the matter in a press release with the ACLU, stating that, “Trump officials are repeatedly abusing their power to stop ideas they don’t like, deciding who can speak, write, and even joke.”
On September 17th, renowned American television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from his talk show (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) by ABC News, following criticism over a comment he made about the controversial assassination of the well-known conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s show has been broadcasting for over twenty years, and the sudden suspension fueled controversy surrounding what the First Amendment truly entails.
The suspicions of government intervention occurred shortly after Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission of the United States, made threats pressuring ABC to pull Kimmel off the air. According to BBC, Carr said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way…These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” This pressure allegedly led to ABC dropping the show, along with Nexstar Media Group. Coincidentally, Nexstar reportedly requires FCC approval to finalize the $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna, a broadcasting company. In the ACLU press release, Anders also addressed Kimmel, stating “The Trump Administration’s actions, paired with ABC’s capitulation, represent a grave threat to our First Amendment freedoms.”
After numerous protests, Kimmel eventually returned to his show on September 23, where approximately 6.3 million viewers tuned in to watch. This was the show’s largest audience for an individual episode since launching.
Yet the events of September 2025 were not the first of government attempts to censor what information is released to the American public. After a years-long investigation, the Republican House Judiciary Committee has recently released admissions from Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. in a letter that confirms attempted censorship under the Biden Administration.
The letter addressed from the Council of Alphabet to Chairman Jim Jordan has revealed that the Biden Administration pressured Google to censor Americans and remove content that did not violate YouTube’s policies regarding government criticism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter states that White House officials repeatedly reached out to pressure the company into removing “non-violative user generated content.” Alphabet Inc. claims to have fought these attempts on First Amendment grounds.
Horace Greeley social studies teacher Mr. McGill, when asked about other events in history involving the First Amendment being put at risk of violation, mentioned the Alien and Sedition Acts under John Adams, which were against anti-Adams propaganda during the Adams-Jefferson election. “If you said anything bad about the government or Adams, you could go to jail… One guy said, ‘Adams deserves a cannonball to his backside’ and he was arrested for a year. Very soon after Jefferson became president those (Alien and Sedition Acts) ended as they clearly went against the First Amendment.” In times of crisis, many people believe that the Americans have a right to know the full story.
Regarding social media, there are many disagreements over what users should or shouldn’t be allowed to post. Social media platforms allow almost anyone to post content internationally. Many platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are programmed to take down content that is untrue or harmful. However, the line that distinguishes between speech that is offensive and speech that is genuinely harmful has begun to blur. Through the CIRSD (Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development), Harvard Law Professor Alan M. Dershowitz states that private individuals and groups are entitled to express objections to speech that they find offensive or false. According to the First Amendment, the government does not possess the power to filter out these comments from the public’s feed.
When the government attempts to censor certain information from the public view it can be like living in a bubble, one where it’s difficult to find out what is happening outside. There have been countless times in history where the First Amendment has been violated, but they have all been put to a stop. Global teacher Mr. McGill noted, “If you silence the people in a democracy, then it’s not really a democracy anymore.” Freedom of speech is at the root of our nation, and it is crucial that media censorship does not violate this fundamental right.
