Freedom of Speech

La Shawn Barber has this as a side comment about the limitations of Freedom of Speech, pertaining to the termination of radio talk-show host Michael Graham.

I support Michael Graham but disagree with the implication that his First Amendment rights were violated. The amendment protects citizens from government suppression of speech.

La Shawn is spot on. The protections of the bill of rights are limitations on the powers of government, specifically the federal government. The free speech clause of the First Amendment states that you have the right to say what you want without fear of legal recriminations.

That doesn't mean you can expect to be paid to say things against the interests of your employer. Michael Graham's employer is ABC, which is owned by Disney. Regardless of how you or I feel about what Graham said, his employer has the right and the responsibility to its shareholders to take action against him if they feel his actions reflect poorly on them. As an immense global corporation, Disney has much to lose if people were pressed by CAIR, for example, to boycott them.

This is nothing new. The truth is, people lose their jobs over much less, eg: people who blog on company time, people who speak publicly against their employer or their peers, etc. Graham's position, though was such that he was paid to give his opinion. This is a valuable position to be in, so long as your employer is interested in hearing your opinion. There should be nothing to stop him from finding similar employment elsewhere, should someone be interested in paying to hear his opinions.