The first amendment guarantees the freedom to be obnoxious, but how far is too far? Local radio talk show host Chris Krok mocks Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker's recent suicide. Does being unethical disqualify him from being a journalist?
People are drawn to controversy. Newspapers thrive on controversy. All Krok is doing is drawing attention. He's not trying to get people to like him; he's trying to get people to enjoy him. The average person is respectful - you have to be a jerk to really stand out. The human race doesn't want to watch people get along. Every piece of successful entertainment ever has to have a conflict.
Journalism at it's heart is a very interpretable field. There is a place for personal opinion. When the White House condemns Fox News as being too biased to take seriously, cries of censorship and communism ring from conservatives and scattered liberals. Chris Krok and Fox News have a lot in common: they are both offending people, and they both have a large sphere of influence.
As long as they aren't flat out lying, anyone has the right to voice their opinions however skewed from popular thought they are. There is nothing wrong with Fox News criticizing the Obama administration, and there is nothing wrong with a local columnist criticizing Fox News.
I don't agree with Chris Krok, but I don't want to censor him.
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