Speech is free in America – and so are reactions

First amendment protects only from government punishment

On Sunday, the Yuma Sun made the decision to pull the Dilbert comic strip from our editions, due to racist remarks by creator Scott Adams.

We weren’t alone in that decision. Newspapers across America dropped Dilbert, and the company that syndicated the cartoon, Andrews Mcmeel Universal, said it was discontinuing the comic strip, noting “we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate.”

Our decision to drop Dilbert is one our readers have, for the most part, supported:

• “It appears that Scott Adams shot himself in his foot.”

• “Just wanted you to know I was extremely pleased to see your commentary and discontinuation of the strip.”

• “Thank you for taking Dilbert out of the paper and saying you don’t support or condone racism in any way, shape or form. I’m sure you will receive plenty of negative responses to your comments, but I want you to know how much my husband and I appreciate what you’ve done.”

We also received a handful of comments that weren’t OK with the decision, most of which accused the Sun of censorship and making “woke” decisions.

To our readers, we thank you for sharing your opinions on both sides of the issue. We always appreciate reader feedback.

We aren’t going to reprint Adams’ comments again – his words have been on our pages enough this week – but his statements on race do not fit with our values as a company, period.

And for those who accused us – and newspapers across America – as being anti-first Amendment, we beg to differ. Adams is free to speak on whatever issues he chooses.

But just as Adams is free to say what he wants, newspapers are free to decide whether or not they want to continue to publish his comic strip.

The First Amendment gives everyone the right to free speech, the ability to speak or write or share opinions without facing punishment from the government.

But it doesn’t mean free speech is without consequence. Newspapers aren’t the government – they are private businesses that are free to determine what fits with their company’s values and what does not. In this case, the decision was clear.

To our readers, thank you for sharing your perspective on the issue. We appreciate hearing from you.

In the meantime, we’ve adjusted our puzzles to larger sizes while we decide what to do with the open slot on our comics page. If there’s a comic strip you’d like to see in that space, please let us know at editor@yumasun.com.

And as always, thanks for reading.