Friday, March 10, 2023 | 2 a.m.
I was dismayed by the decision to join the mob in banishing cartoonist Scott Adams from those who are in a position to exercise their First Amendment rights.
Newspapers reserve the right to refuse to publish work that crosses the line, whether in bad taste or libelous or for any offense between the extremes. However, there is a difference between exercising that right and joining a movement to destroy someone’s career barely a week after an offense.
I have never seen the offending YouTube show, so I cannot comment on it. But I have followed the “Dilbert” strip for years. A recurring theme in the series is what idiocy comes out of the mouths of mediocre corporate leaders who think they are geniuses.
What worries me is that this is not the first time I have seen a newspaper crusade with intent to purge a nonconformist who voiced his opinion intemperately. (The other incidents did not involve your newspaper.)
The First Amendment is central to protecting and nurturing a free press. A lapse in judgment on your part could move you from a member of the mob to the man on the pillory.
The best way to protect your own rights is to stand in solidarity with those whose rights are under attack, even if you disagree with the content that got them into trouble.
