Antiwar Advocates Being Quieted

Back in 2004, the antiwar group Project Billboard attempted to put up a graphic critiquing the war in Iraq in Times Square but were unable to as the leasing company, Clear Channel Communications, backed out of the deal months after an agreement was reached.

According to President Paul Meyer of Clear Channel Communications, the company was not opposed to the message rather the bomb image Project Billboard planned to use. The company proposed that Project Billboard replace the bomb with a dove, however, Project Billboard refused and filed a lawsuit against Clear Channel after claims that Clear Channel rejected the dove too.

Project Billboard Spokesman Howard Wolfson claimed that Clear Channel, with strong ties to the Republican party, had a clear political agenda that should disgust New Yorkers. Clear Channel has been called out before for censoring musicians on their radio stations who oppose the war as well. Some argued that these connections were very loose and that independent stations acted of their own accord rather than by decree from the head company.

Is this a case of censorship or are the claims that New York is sensitive to images of bombs and discussion on war true? Personally, I try to avoid shying away from important conversations to have and the fact that the U.S. as been at war with Iraq for almost two decades is certainly an important conversation. I have almost forgotten why we are at war in the first place, as I am sure many other Americans can agree. In the case above, it is clear that antiwar groups are quieted whether it be for a political agenda or political correctness. This is a scary thought as I tend to side with the antiwar group in the case above. The bomb would have been in bad taste, but the dove or little girl holding a flag would have been extremely appropriate, yet those ideas were also shot down.

What do you think? Is the antiwar group in the wrong for being inappropriate with their imagery, or is Clear Channel in the wrong for censoring a group’s freedom of speech?

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/12/nyregion/antiwar-group-says-its-ad-is-rejected.html