Daily Caller
Accountability Is Not The Same As Cancel Culture
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Alan Wilson
Charlie Kirk’s brutal political assassination was a wakeup call across America. The world watched as a bullet took his life, and then we watched, in equal horror, at the reprehensible rhetoric that followed his death.
Before Charlie Kirk was even pronounced dead, a liberal MSNBC pundit said the bullet was probably fired from one of Charlie’s “supporters” who may have “accidentally fired their gun in celebration.” Some professors at colleges and universities across the country, including my home state of South Carolina, cheered his death and tried to justify Charlie’s killing. Radical lunatics on the Left even called his memorial service a Nazi rally, ridiculed his grieving widow, and said his two young children are better off without him.
All of this hatred because Charlie Kirk simply wanted to debate ideas. His mission was to create dialogue and civil discourse on college campuses. He wanted to teach young people to vehemently disagree but still have thoughtful conversations – to argue one’s beliefs and think independently and critically.
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An off-color joke made when someone was 19 is very different from someone making inflammatory remarks in real time that undermine the trust placed in their position, especially when it promotes, justifies, or even celebrates violence. And as a result when we confuse accountability with censorship or cancel culture, we empower dangerous voices and threaten the very safety of our communities. Let me be clear: celebrating or justifying cold-blooded murder is never acceptable and employers are justified for firing individuals that make these statements. In fact, it’s the only rational position for these employers to take.
Freedom of speech does not mean an absence of responsibility. Professors at Clemson University, or anyone else for that matter, shouldn’t be jailed for their reprehensible comments. But that doesn’t mean their behavior comes without consequences. Holding individuals accountable for their actions can serve to protect our society as a whole. You’re still entitled to your stupid opinion, but that doesn’t mean people will agree with it or that you should get a free pass.
I believe the First Amendment serves as the fundamental foundation of our Constitution by safeguarding speech from government control. Throughout my career as Attorney General I have worked to protect this fundamental, God-given right. But I’ve found that people don’t actually know what free speech means. For example, you can not go into a crowded building and yell “fire!” It means you can share your ideas without fear of being jailed. But it does not mean you can say whatever you want without responsibility. Actions do have consequences.
It’s up to us to demand accountability. To teach our young people accordingly and call balls and strikes when we see them. The recent abhorrent display of violence masqueraded as free expression must be dealt with seriously. Employers, especially educational institutions, should take immediate disciplinary measures against staff members who promote extremist violent beliefs. And if people protest that line of thinking, I’d ask why? Why do you think it’s okay for celebrating violence to go unpunished? Why does the Left accept forced pronoun policies but shudder at the thought of holding people accountable for cheering murder?
Our nation is at a turning point. We should ask ourselves what it will take to build a society where disagreements are debated with civility, where differences are not met with violence, and where our children inherit a country that values life, liberty, and community above all else. That is how we can honor Charlie Kirk’s life. That is how we make sure his work was not in vain.
Charlie often spoke of the power of the grassroots, the power of ordinary people rising up to make an extraordinary difference and the importance of faith. It is up to the rest of us to carry that vision forward. We cannot let this tragedy silence us or divide us. Instead, we must be unified in our determination to live boldly, to speak freely, and to stand together as Americans.
Let us honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy by living out the values he so fiercely defended, faith, courage, love of country, and the unwavering belief in the promise of America. Like Charlie Kirk, I believe America’s best days are yet to come.
Alan Wilson was elected South Carolina’s 51st Attorney General in 2010. His X handle is @AGAlanWilson
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
The recent leadership changes at Paramount Skydance suggest that the company may finally be ready to correct course after years of ideological drift, cultural activism posing as programming, and a pattern of self-inflicted financial and reputational damage.
Nowhere was this problem more visible than at CBS News, which for years operated as one of the most partisan and combative news organizations. Let’s be honest, CBS was the worst of an already left biased industry that stopped at nothing to censor conservatives. The network seemed committed to the idea that its viewers needed to be guided, corrected, or morally shaped by its editorial decisions.
This culminated in the CBS and 60 Minutes segment with Kamala Harris that was so heavily manipulated and so structurally misleading that it triggered widespread backlash and ultimately forced Paramount to settle a $16 million dispute with Donald Trump. That was not merely a legal or contractual problem. It was an institutional failure that demonstrated the degree to which political advocacy had overtaken journalistic integrity.
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For many longtime viewers across the political spectrum, that episode represented a clear breaking point. It became impossible to argue that CBS News was simply leaning left. It was operating with a mission orientation that prioritized shaping narratives rather than reporting truth. As a result, trust collapsed. Many of us who once had long-term professional, commercial, or intellectual ties to Paramount and CBS walked away.
David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount marks the most consequential change to the studio’s identity in a generation. Ellison is not anchored to the old Hollywood ecosystem where cultural signaling and activist messaging were considered more important than story, audience appeal, or shareholder value.
His professional history in film and strategic business management suggests an approach grounded in commercial performance, audience trust, and brand rebuilding rather than ideological identity. That shift matters because Paramount has spent years creating content and news coverage that seemed designed to provoke or instruct viewers rather than entertain or inform them. It was an approach that drained goodwill, eroded market share, and drove entire segments of the viewing public elsewhere.
The appointment of Bari Weiss as the new chief editor of CBS News is so significant. Weiss has built her reputation on rejecting ideological conformity imposed from either side. She has consistently spoken out against antisemitism and the moral disorientation that emerges when institutions prioritize political messaging over honesty.
Her brand centers on the belief that journalism should clarify rather than obscure. During President Trump’s recent 60 Minutes interview, he praised Weiss as a “great person” and credited her with helping restore integrity and editorial seriousness inside CBS. That moment signaled something important. Paramount is no longer simply rearranging executives. It is rethinking identity.
The appointment of Makan Delrahim as Chief Legal Officer was an early indicator. Delrahim’s background at the Department of Justice, where he led antitrust enforcement, signals seriousness about governance, compliance, and restoring institutional discipline.
But the deeper and more meaningful shift is occurring at the ownership and editorial levels, where the most politically charged parts of Paramount’s portfolio may finally be shedding the habits that alienated millions of viewers.The transformation will not be immediate. Institutions develop habits, internal cultures, and incentive structures that resist correction. There will be internal opposition, particularly from staff and producers who benefited from the ideological culture that defined CBS News in recent years.
There will be critics in Hollywood who see any shift toward balance as a threat to their influence. And there will be outside voices who will insist that any move away from their preferred political posture is regression.
But genuine reform never begins with instant consensus. It begins with leadership willing to be clear about the mission.
Paramount has the opportunity to reclaim what once made it extraordinary. Not as a symbol. Not as a message distribution vehicle. But as a studio that understands that good storytelling and credible reporting are not partisan aims. They are universal aims. Entertainment succeeds when it connects with audiences rather than instructing them. Journalism succeeds when it pursues truth rather than victory.
In an era when audiences have more viewing choices than at any time in history, trust is an economic asset. Viewers are sophisticated. They recognize when they are being lectured rather than engaged. They know when editorial goals are political rather than informational. And they are willing to reward any institution that treats them with respect.
There is now reason to believe Paramount understands this. The leadership is changing. The tone is changing. The incentives are being reassessed.
It is not the final outcome. But it is a real beginning. As the great Winston Churchill once said; “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”.
For the first time in a long time, the door to cultural realignment in legacy media is open. And Paramount is standing at the threshold and has the capability to become a market leader once again. If Paramount acts, the industry will follow.
Bill Flaig and Tom Carter are the Co-Founders of The American Conservatives Values ETF, Ticker Symbol ACVF traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Ticker Symbol ACVF
Learn more at www.InvestConservative.com
Daily Caller
Laura Ingraham’s Viral Clash With Trump Prompts Her To Tell Real Reasons China Sends Students To US
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
On Monday, Ingraham pressed Trump on why a plan to admit 600,000 Chinese nationals into U.S. universities qualifies as a “pro-MAGA” move, challenging him directly after he defended the influx as vital to maintaining Washington’s relationship with Beijing. During a Wednesday broadcast, Ingraham said no modern president has fought harder for American workers than Trump and predicted he will “honor that distinction for the next three years.”
“There was also more consternation over the approach to allowing Chinese and other foreign students to take spots at U.S. universities. A lot of MAGA folks didn’t like that at all. And it’s not, by the way, as some Chinese influencers today said on X, I love this, it’s not that the MAGA folks, certainly not myself, dislike the Chinese people. It’s ridiculous,” Ingraham said.
“What they dislike is the Chinese system that represses Chinese people and uses them as human spies and saboteurs. Remember, when the CCP greenlights hundreds of thousands of their people to come study here, they’re not sending them so they can learn about the wonders of Western civilization, Plato and Socrates, Greek history, become champions of individual freedom and take that message back home. They’re sent here to do whatever is necessary to learn how to push the People’s Republic closer to crushing America, to stealing from us, and for spying on us,” Ingraham added.
Ingraham said that people “understandably perplexed by some of the president’s comments, we cannot forget, what American president has ever been tougher on China than Donald Trump? None.”
Ingraham told viewers that Beijing does not send its students to America to study the Western canon or return home as advocates of individual liberty.
WATCH:
Ingraham warned that China’s rise didn’t happen overnight, saying that decades of inattentive presidents allowed Beijing to gain the strength Trump now must confront.
“Given China’s growing strength that’s been amassed over decades of presidents who were out to lunch, President Trump inherited the most challenging situation,” Ingraham said. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this, that any president has faced in the last 50 years. He and his entire team are dedicated to countering the Chinese aggression that’s building.”
Washington and Beijing struck a deal in June clearing the way for Chinese nationals to enroll in American universities, a shift that followed the administration’s June 5 move blocking Harvard from bringing in additional international students. Officials justified the restriction by pointing to security vulnerabilities and rising campus turmoil, including allegations of antisemitic activity, as reasons to tighten the flow of foreign applicants.
Trump acknowledged at the time that admitting large numbers of students from a country controlled by the Chinese Communist Party carries real intelligence concerns, saying in June that the government “must be vigilant” about who enters U.S. classrooms. National security experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the policy could create openings for the CCP to exploit America’s higher-education system and potentially endanger U.S. interests.
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