Sherrod and the First Amendment

          Andrew Breitbard started a firestorm.  He is the blogger that first reported the remarks of Shirley Sherrod.  I read his initial post as the storm was growing.  The first sentence caught my attention, “Context is everything.”  Indeed it is.  As reported in his post Sherrod’s remarks were taken out of context and because of that she was fired. 

          Before I reported the story, I searched for video of Sherrod’s full speech and in minutes found them on the NAACP website.  When viewed in context it is clear that the Breitbard’s story gives a false impression and the firing of Shirley Sherrod was wrong.  I’ve never tried to be the first to report a story, but I have tried to get it right.  By the time I was writing my initial blogpost, the major media were reporting Sherrod’s comments in context.  I killed my story.

          While I killed my story on the subject, the story continued to evolve and it now appears to have been only the first couple of rounds in this media slugfest.   The website BigGovernment.com, were the story first broke, stated in a July 21^st post that those who, “take words out of context for political purposes were warned about ‘context’ at the beginning of Breitbart’s Monday post.”  The writer goes on to state that, “The problem for both the NAACP and the White House was that they took it out of context on their own and reacted as any victim of an Alinsky-style tactic might—by overreacting.  However, in so doing, they also threw Shirley Sherrod under their bus.” (Emphasis theirs)  If this is true, at the very least Andrew Breitbard played fast and loose with Sherrod’s reputation and career.  No matter what he sought to accomplish the end does not justify the means.   

          With both the old and new media doing the job they are supposed to do, the truth did come out and Sherrod was offered her job back.  Now she is claiming that Breitbard wants all blacks back in slavery. (See the embedded video)  While most can understand her anger, she can no more know that than he could know her true feelings.  In this litigious society, it is probable that she now has a legal claim against Breitbard.  Few would fault her if she pursued that course.

          Perhaps the most troubling round of this media fight has begun, the soul searching.  Calls for regulation of blogs and the elimination of anonymous blogging and comments are being discussed in the mainstream liberal media. 

I first saw the embedded video and story on NewsBusters.  In this clip Anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts, speaking on CNN, cite the book, The Cult of the Amateur, How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture, as the basis for discussion,  Together they mulls the idea that many bloggers are “cowards” seeking attention and need to be “held accountable.”  They cite the author, Andrew Keen, as saying that there needs to be a gatekeeper.  Who would be that gatekeeper?  I can imagine that CNN would volunteer.           

          In this land of liberty, no one should regulate or serve as a gatekeeper for of speech.  While there will always be those who abuse liberty, their irresponsibility is not a reason to take liberty from others.