News

The anti-censorship movement has an unlikely ally

Poynter · Tom Jones · last updated

Advocates of press freedom and free speech, and opponents of censorship, may have what you would consider an unlikely champion:

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

The Wall Street Journal’s Amrith Ramkumar reports that Cruz wants the legal system to offer better protections against government censorship.

Ramkumar writes, “Cruz plans to introduce a bill in the coming weeks that would codify protections against government-driven censorship, and make it easier for consumers to win monetary damages in lawsuits, he said in an interview. Cruz, the head of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he also plans to focus on the topic in a series of hearings that are expected to include Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.”

You might recall that just a few weeks ago, Cruz was outspoken in his support for late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose show was suspended by Disney after comments Kimmel made on air about the shooting death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.