NPC, NPCJI join open letter in solidarity with ABC, amid FCC efforts to chill free speech

The National Press Club and National Press Club Journalism Institute have joined 12 press-freedom groups in solidarity with the American Broadcast Company (ABC) as it resists efforts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to chill free speech aired on the network.

In the joint letter, the coalition commended ABC and its parent company, the Walt Disney Company, for standing by the hosts of ABC’s talk show "The View" amid FCC attempts to punish ABC for constitutionally-protected free speech expressed by the show’s hosts.

The letter encouraged ABC and Disney to continue to stand firm and defend its journalists, talk show hosts, and comedians from attacks by the FCC and White House, including pressure to pull host Jimmy Kimmel off the air for jokes found offensive by the Trump administration. 

“The American Broadcasting Company is living up to its name by standing up for a vital American value,” the Coalition wrote, adding that its vigorous defense of "The View" comes as “critical time for an entire industry – and for free speech itself.”

The Club and Institute frequently review and sign on to coalition letters, amicus briefs, and other measures that support the press freedom and First Amendment rights of individuals and organizations, the absence of which promises to corrode the vibrancy and freedom of a healthy democracy.