Dear Editor,
The First Amendment is clear: the government has no authority to silence speech or the press. That protection isn’t selective, and it doesn’t disappear when a reporter covers something controversial. That’s why the arrest of Don Lemon should concern every American.
This isn’t about liking or disliking a journalist. It’s about whether the government is staying within the limits the Constitution places on it. A free press is supposed to watch the government — not fear it.
If federal agencies can arrest a reporter for documenting a protest, then the First Amendment becomes a suggestion instead of a guarantee. And once the government crosses that line, it rarely stops with one person.
Protecting constitutional rights means defending them consistently. A nation that values freedom must insist that the First Amendment still means what it says.
Susan Stone
