As the debate over free speech and government power has moved from the abstract to the urgent, two new national surveys reveal how Americans themselves view these tensions over free speech, media accountability, and the role of government in content decisions.
In September, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sparked an extraordinary political clash when he suggested that remarks by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about the assassination of Charlie Kirk were not in the public interest and could invite fines or even license challenges, leading to Kimmel’s preemption by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair.
The episode prompted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to call Carr “one of the greatest threats to free speech America has ever seen” and demand his resignation, while Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) charged that Carr “has turned the FCC into the Federal Censorship Commission.”
The controversy has reignited fundamental questions about the boundaries of regulatory authority, the vulnerability of broadcasters with pending business before the FCC, and whether the mere threat of government action, without formal enforcement, constitutes unconstitutional pressure.
Against this backdrop, a late September NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, nearly 8 in 10 US adults say the country has gone too far in restricting free speech, compared with just 19% who believe the US has gone too far in expanding it. That sentiment was strongest among Democrats (88%) and Independents (86%). Republicans were more split: 64% said speech is being restricted too much, while nearly one-third (31%) said the US has gone too far in expanding it.
A separate YouGov survey for The Economist asked Americans whether it is acceptable for the government to pressure broadcasters to remove shows that include speech it disagrees with.
Two-thirds of respondents (68%) called such government action “unacceptable.” Only 13% said it was acceptable, with the rest unsure. Here, partisan divides were sharper: 88% of Democrats and 74% of Independents said such pressure is unacceptable, compared with 42% of Republicans.
Three in ten Republicans said government pressure on broadcasters is acceptable.
Another YouGov survey found fifty-eight percent said the government threatening to revoke the license of a TV network that criticizes it is “definitely” a violation, with another 19% calling it “probably” a violation. Just 13% said such a move would not be a violation, while 9% said they were unsure.
Both polls come as NPR itself is in federal court, arguing that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is caving to political pressure from the White House by cutting off satellite system funding. At the FCC, Carr mentioned the future possibility of an auction where broadcasters could either remain under traditional public interest rules or bid for new, more flexible licenses similar to those held by mobile carriers.
