Americans have the right to freedom of faith, speech, and religion but we should keep in mind that we do not have the freedom to exercise these rights beyond certain boundaries. Freedom should be expressed with restraint, control, responsibility, and respect.
The Exercise of Freedom Does Not Imply a Right to Say or Do Everything (CCC 1740).
The Four Freedoms According to Franklin D. Roosevelt
- The freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
- The freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.
- The freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
- The freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world (The State of the Union Address to the Congress, January 6, 1941)
I have freedom of speech but does that mean I can say whatever I feel like at the moment without consideration for others? For example, does one have the right to yell fire when there is none? Or to call someone’s home at any hour? Or the right to intrude on another’s privacy electronically with unwanted messages?
Freedom makes man responsible for his acts (1734 CCC).
Modern Communication
Since technology is continually transforming the platforms available to exercise our freedom of speech, new, complex problems keep popping up.
As Christians, we have a moral obligation to communicate the truth. We have a moral obligation to admit, speak, distribute truth – to inform, expose falsities, lies, and incomplete information. We have the moral obligation to demand, expect the complete truth, for incomplete information is as useless as fake news. Nor can we accept entertainment as news, as the truth, as fact.
The unprofessional use of modern communication in these last years, by the most powerful office, has forced us to reexamine free speech.
Human communities are made up of persons. Governing them well is not limited to guaranteeing rights and fulfilling duties such as honoring contracts. Right relations between employers and employees, between those who govern and citizens, presuppose a natural good will in keeping with the dignity of human persons concerned for justice and fraternity (2213 CCC).
Those who govern guarantee our rights and freedoms when they treat us with dignity by informing us of the facts, not by manipulating us with half-truths simply to further their own agenda.
Disagreements in a Democracy
In a healthy democracy, there will be disagreements on the wavering line of what freedom entails as we discuss its various forms and limitations, etc. This ability to debate reflects the maturity, dignity, and a sense of responsibility of our culture.
Opinions should be labeled as such, continuously with caveats stating such, that other information is not being presented which may give the listener a different perspective. And silence is also an aspect of freedom – like action or inaction, maintains the same responsible Christian values, obligations.
An individual must have access to various sources of information. Each citizen has a moral obligation to listen, understand, critique the various news available and demand more. Too many have died to enhance and preserve it.
Obligations of the Media
And what of the obligations of corporations and corporate media and the FCC fairness doctrine controversy? How should they be regulated? What is the role of the free-market? Is it fair? Is it free? What is the obligation of the government to make sure its citizens are informed and not lied to by news outlets? The public has the right to true facts and information.
An abbreviation of the FCC Broadcast Ownership Rules and Oversight of Broadcast Freedom:
The Federal Communications Commission sets limits on the number of broadcast stations – radio and TV – an entity can own. An entity is permitted to own up to two television stations in the same Designated Market Area (DMA) if either:
- There is no limit on the number of television stations a single entity may own nationwide as long as the station group collectively reaches no more than 39 percent of all U.S. TV households.
- The service areas – known as the digital noise limited service contour – of the stations do not overlap; or at least one of the stations is not ranked among the top-four rated stations in the DMA based on audience share
- Limitations on the number of radio stations a single entity may own in an area are based on a sliding scale that varies by the size of the market.
In 2017, the Commission eliminated its rule that had previously prohibited common ownership of a full-power broadcast station and a daily newspaper if the station’s contour (defined separately by type of station) completely encompassed the newspaper’s city of publication and the station and newspaper were in the same relevant Nielsen market. At the same time, the Commission also eliminated the radio-television cross-ownership rule, which had restricted the common ownership of broadcast radio and television stations located in the same market.
Based on surveys conducted by Pew Research Center, the percentage of adults citing local broadcast television as a news source declined from 65% in 1996 to 37% in 2016. As broadcast stations face competition for viewers’ attention from other media outlets, and thereby financial pressures, some station owners have sought to strengthen their positions by consolidating.
The effect of these changes in how we learn about events means most people find it difficult to fulfill their moral obligation to listen, understand, and critique the news from a variety of viewpoints.
Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect (Eleanor Roosevelt).
Yes, Catholics do have freedom of faith and speech but this freedom comes with responsibilities. Our speech and opinions must be rooted in truth, based on access to unbiased facts and information from a variety of news sources.
Spiritual freedom is the root of political liberty…As the union between spiritual freedom and political liberty seems nearly inseparable, it is our duty to defend both (Thomas Paine).
This article first appeared in The Catholic Stand
Glenn Slaby Blog