Roger Stone: Grassroots Efforts to Convince Fox News to Fire Bill O’Reilly Violate First Amendment
‘This Is a Flagrant, Egregious Violation of the First Amendment’
Longtime Donald Trump ally and former campaign operative Roger Stone says the grassroots efforts, now successful, to convince Fox News to part ways with Bill O’Reilly over sexual harassment allegations violate the First Amendment. Stone, a fan of conspiracy theories and dirty tricks, appeared on the alt-right’s favorite fake news site, InfoWars, and spoke with Paul Joseph Watson.
Watson, a purveyor of conspiracy theories like his boss, Alex Jones, has promoted the false and unproven claim that Hillary Clinton has Parkinson’s, and made many other false suggestions.
“They can’t argue on the basis of ideas, they can’t argue on the basis of issues, so they have to silence us,†Stone told Watson, speaking about liberals and the left. “They’re trying to do so through Facebook, through Google, through these kinds of campaigns being run against O’Reilly. Censorship to me seems to be fundamentally un-American. We allow everybody a voice. This is a flagrant, egregious violation of the First Amendment,†Stone falsely claimed, as Right Wing Watch reported.
Perhaps someone should remind Stone that the First Amendment protects Americans from government censorship, not activists who have the absolute right to speak their opinions. In fact, there seems to be nothing more fundamentally American than participating in an act of consumer activism.Â
Stone began by saying “there is an orchestrated campaign of smear against O’Reilly.” A better classification would be, “there is a grassroots effort to get Fox News to do what it should have done well over a decade ago.”
Stunningly, Stone suggests that Roger Ailes, with whom Fox News parted ways last year, wasn’t fired, but rather he just “picked up and left,” as if he had any choice in the matter.
Watson claimed that people on the left have no principles, a false claim.
He then “absurdly declared that ‘you very rarely see people on the right going after people on the left in terms of personal attacks,’ claiming that personal attacks have ‘not really been a tactic of the right,'” according to Right Wing Watch.
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.
Image: Screenshot via Right Wing Watch/YouTube

Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.
![]() |