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Reason
Reason
Jacob Sullum

Trump's Vision of Broadcast Regulation Is a Threat to Conservatives

"When 97 percent of the stories are bad," President Donald Trump declared on Friday, "it's no longer free speech." When TV networks "take a great story" and "make it bad," he added, "I think that's really illegal."

Trump was wrong on both points. And in groping toward a justification for the regulatory threats that preceded Jimmy Kimmel's expulsion from his late-night slot on ABC, Trump embraced a principle that historically was bad for conservatives—one they are apt to regret reviving.

"You have a network and you have evening shows, and all they do is hit Trump," the president complained. "They're licensed. They're not allowed to do that."

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