The following editorial was originally published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sunday, February 7, 2021 as part of the "Raise Your Hand" column in the Insights section.
The conversation about the power of big technology companies, or “Big Tech,” is a long and important one, but there is a simple answer to whether Big Techs’ recent actions against Donald Trump are an infringement on free speech. No, they are not. Not legally, or even intuitively.
- Karli Young
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” In 1783, five years before the American Constitution, and eight years before the Bill of Rights, George Washington spoke of a freedom of speech that did not rely on law or legal right. Freedom of speech, Washington knew, depended on a society that valued open dialogue and embraced differing perspectives, a society that has become increasingly threatened in recent years.
- Elijah Lee
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