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Poor Prince Harry! After surrendering his royal position in the House of Windsor last year to start life anew in the United States with his actress wife Meghan Markle, hes had a tough time adjusting to our countrys ways.

It seems certain aspects of our American society leave the prince befuddled. In a recent podcast interview, Harry suggested he doesnt have much regard for the First Amendment:

I dont want to start sort of going down the First Amendment route because thats a huge subject and one in which I dont understand because Ive only been here a short period of time.

But you can find a loophole in anything. And you can capitalize or exploit whats not said rather than uphold what is said. Ive got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers.

Of course, for us Yanks of non-royal, non-British pedigree, individual rights like those protected under the First Amendmentfreedom of religion; freedom of speech; freedom of the press; freedom of petition and assembly; and freedom of associationare anything but bonkers. Theyre the very foundation of a free and civilized society in which citizens can thrive and flourish.

Harry did admit hes only been on American soil for a short period of time. So, lets give the erstwhile monarch a pass for his dismissal of a core American liberty, and trust he will take time to educate himself on the Constitution while hes here.

But heres who doesnt deserve a pass: the U.S. media entities whose coverage of Harrys gaffe suggests that caring about the First Amendment is a conservative obsessiona prepossession blared from the headlines alone:

Newsweek: Prince Harry Calls First Amendment Bonkers, Sparks Conservative Backlash

The Mercury News: Prince Harrys bonkers First Amendment quip fuels outrage among top U.S. conservatives

Entertainment News: Prince Harry Calls The First Amendment Bonkers and He Makes a Good Point

Vanity Fair: Prince Harry Called the First Amendment Bonkers and Gave Some Talking Heads an Excuse to Relitigate the Revolutionary War

The lead sentence in the Vanity Fair piece is particularly revealing: A contingent of conservative-leaning politicians and talking heads are up in arms afterPrince Harryoffhandedly dubbed their beloved First Amendment bonkers, VFs Emily Kirkpatrick explains.

There was a time when journalists were champions of key liberties like freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Such liberties, as protected under the First Amendment, werent conservative valuesthey were shared and cherished by all Americans who valued freedom of expression and opinion.

That was certainly my experience as a working journalist: The First Amendment wasnt something beloved just by conservatives, but by all Americans. It makes one wonder what budding reporters are taught in journalism schools these days.

Todays journalists would do well to reacquaint themselves with the core liberties protected under the First Amendment, particularly freedom of speech. A good place to start would be with this blog post from my PLF colleague, Wen Fa, who explains Why Free Speech is Important. Wen notes that in many countries (his native China included), government entities are not shy about squashing and punishing dissent by clamping down on those who try to exercise free speech. But thats not the case in the United Statesthanks to our robust constitutional protections.

America offers a richer tradition, Wen writes. People are free toexpress their ideas, even if those ideas are unpopular, unconventional, or wrong (though, in many cases, they may eventually be proven right). Americans are thus free to participate in peaceful protests, wear black armbands to school, and evenburn the nations flag. A speaker may say things that are unpopular, uncomfortable, or downright grotesque. But in a free society, we engage dissent through discussion and debate, rather than through censorship and punishment.

Thanks to the First Amendment, Americans enjoy stronger protections for free speech than people in most other countriesand thats a great thing, even if it means we sometimes have to contend with unpleasant or unpopular opinions. Prince Harry may or may not come to appreciate the value of American free speech protectionswe certainly dont begrudge the Duke of Sussex his right to talk to a podcaster, Oprah Winfrey, or anyone else he wishes, about whatever he wishes. We have, after all, the right not to listen.

However, media figures should make more of an effort to stand up for the values enshrined in the Constitution. Failing to do so, when their own livelihoods depend so deeply on the First Amendment, is justbonkers.

Read the original here:
Royal Pain: Prince Harryand his media fansneed educating on why the First Amendment matters - Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF)