At Lively Public Forum, FCC Commissioner Gomez Rallies Angelenos in Defense of First Amendment Rights and a Free Press
LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez took a forceful stand against government censorship and intimidation of U.S. media during a boisterous Los Angeles forum co-hosted by Free Press.
“I launched this First Amendment tour to bring attention to this administration’s campaign of censorship and control — and I want to be clear, this is an administration-wide campaign,” Gomez said during the event. “Freedom of the press requires journalists that are able to do their job without interference from their corporate parents. We are not seeing that today because of the actions of this administration and it is so dangerous. We all need to understand what is happening and we need people to speak up and to push back.”
Commissioner Gomez came to California to hear Angelenos’ concerns about threats to free speech. She has condemned the Trump FCC’s alarming assault on First Amendment rights. Under Trump-appointed Chairman Brendan Carr, the supposedly independent agency has aligned closely with the White House to harass and intimidate news outlets that don’t toe the administration’s authoritarian line.
Wednesday’s event featured discussions between Gomez, U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz and a panel of local advocates and experts. The public also had the opportunity to testify about their own experiences in the face of escalating government threats to free speech.
“The fight is at a much higher level right now. The fight is at the survival of the free press. The fight is at the independence of journalists,” said Congressman Ruiz. “journalists are an important check on power. And when you’re attacked it’s meant to allow the powerful and the corrupt to go without sunshine and transparency, and to fool the American public …. How can we begin to have a debate, how can we even begin to create policy when we can’t even agree on what reality is, or what the truth is? In that environment, dictatorships thrive.”
“Many Americans think that this will pass in less than four years or with the inevitable passage of time. Thanks to the First Amendment, many think that America is so exceptional that you don’t have to do anything because fascism will never happen here. Not true. I compare that with those who dance on the Titanic thinking it will never sink,” said Gabriel Lerner, editor emeritus of La Opinión. “We are still a democratic society, but the guarantees are being dismantled. Even when a [majority] of Americans are saying that freedom of speech is still extremely or very important, we must act, but first we must understand and be ready. Don’t capitulate in advance.”
“There are few in Washington as brave as Commissioner Gomez in speaking out against this administration’s threats to First Amendment-protected free speech,” Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González said. “She’s been a resolute voice of opposition when so many of our supposed institutional checks against tyranny — including an independent media — have capitulated. Gomez has put her job in jeopardy by speaking out against the administration-wide crusade against dissenting voices in the media. This administration wants to whitewash U.S. history and shut down the diverse viewpoints that are fundamental to a healthy democracy. We’re here to build a robust, diverse, multilingual, multi-ethnic and independent media system that serves the people and holds power to account. We thank Commissioner Gomez for coming to Los Angeles to hear directly from people impacted by the chilling decisions coming out of Washington.”
Background: Free Press is at the forefront of the resistance to the Trump FCC’s draconian attempts to silence dissent. The organization is extensively documenting the FCC chairman’s bullying and censorship of independent news outlets and has studied the similarities between authoritarian regimes around the globe and the abuses of the current U.S. administration. Following Wednesday’s event, Free Press called on its million-plus members to oppose attacks on free speech and defend democracy.