What role do you think the government should play in regulating free speech in the media?
Mayor Michael Booker of Highland Hills in Cleveland, Ohio
“I don’t think the government has a role in that. I think that freedom of speech is something that we have as a birth right meaning that no man should ever control what another man says. If you’re not offending, and even if you are offending, it’s your right to say how you feel. And a person can either accept it or not accept it and move on.”
Derrell Simpson, Washington, D.C.
“I think the government should play an extremely limited role in regulating free speech when it comes to the media. When we look at the three branches of government, we know we have the executive branch, the judicial branch and the legislative branch. But then most people often count the media as the fourth branch of government. And I think it provides an equitable check and balance for our government system. I think it’s very much needed and necessary.”
Donna Copeland, Texas, owner of Nevaeh’s Bath and Beauty
“I don’t think the government should have any role because it’s free speech. We should be able to share our thoughts and how we feel freely in a free world. So I don’t believe the Government should be penalizing us and taking our free speech. So free speech is ours to have.”
Andrew Nichols, New York, owner of Andrew Nichols Art
“I don’t think we should depend on the government, but if I had to give my opinion on what the government should do, I think they need to take each case seriously, not depending on who it’s coming from, but [whether] what the person is saying has validity. If it doesn’t have any validity, then it should be swept underneath the rug, but ultimately, we should take that First Amendment in our own hands and not give the government that much power.”
Carylee Carrington, Northern Virginia, children’s author and founder of Read With Carylee
“This country was founded on so many principles that should allow people to have free speech, liberty, freedom of religion… Taking books out and trying to limit the speech of media [and] comedians, it’s something that we shouldn’t be trying to do because it takes away the fundamentals of what we, as a country, were founded on. I want my children to be able to express themselves and have free speech, to be able to find out their history and read books that feature them so they can feel seen in the books that they read. And if we are limiting free speech, we are limiting ideas, we are eliminating creativity, we are eliminating the fundamentals of what we were founded on. Our children deserve better than that.”