An ESPN host was recently suspended for violating the company’s social media policy after she spoke out about racial issues and urged a boycott of the Dallas Cowboys. We discuss the legal aspects of her suspension and how the current political climate is affecting what television personalities are allowed to say. We talk with a native of Sheboygan that was part of the first graduating class at the world’s only film school dedicated solely to comedy.
We also get an update on the deadly wildfires burning in California’s wine country. The map below, from the State of California’s website, shows general locations of the fire:
Featured in this Show
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Northern California's Historic Wildfires
A series of historically deadly wildfires are raging in Northern California, regaining momentum Wednesday as winds are whipping back up. The flames have killed at least 21 people. Authorities say they’ve located more than 100 people who were reported missing, but 560 are still unaccounted for. We talk with an earth science expert about these wildfires and why they’re so bad this year.
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Sheboygan Native Among First Graduating Class At Influential Chicago Film School
We talk to an aspiring filmmaker and Sheboygan native who was in the first graduating class of the Harold Ramis Film School in Chicago.
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The Legal And First Amendment Questions Raised By Suspension Of ESPN Anchor
President Trump took a shot at recently suspended ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill this week this week, suggesting she was behind bad ratings at the network.
With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have “tanked,” in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017His tweet came a day after Hill was suspended by the network for a second violation of its social media policy within recent weeks. In recent tweets, she suggested that NFL fans could boycott vendors and advertisers for the Dallas Cowboys. The owner has ordered players to stand for the national anthem or face being benched.
If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers. Don’t place the burden squarely on the players. https://t.co/Gc48kchkuv
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017Hill previously made headlines in September when she tweeted that the president was a “white supremacist” and the White House’s press secretary called her remarks a fireable offense. Join us as we talk with a legal analyst about the role of the First Amendment in Hill’s comments and how that intersects with the workplace policies of her employer.
Was ESPN wrong to suspend Hill, or is this the right move? Do you think she should be allowed to continue her commentary without repercussions from ESPN? You can be a part of the conversation by ideas@wpr.org, posting on the Ideas Network Facebook page and tweeting at @centraltimewpr.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Amanda Magnus Producer
- Karl Christenson Producer
- Breann Schossow Producer
- J. Carlisle Larsen Producer
- John Hopewell Guest
- Bethany Berg Guest
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