First amendment rights protect political Tweet
What started as a normal high school field trip for Kansas teenager Emma Sullivan turned into a fight for free speech and raised questions about social media’s influential role in politics. Sullivan was visiting the Kansas state Capitol when she jokingly tweeted to her 65 followers about Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, saying “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot.”
The governor’s director of communication, Sherriene Jones-Sontag, prowled the internet and found this Brownback bad-mouthing.
Apparently, this small insult, tweeted by an 18-year-old, was enough of a threat to the governor’s reputation that Jones-Sontag took immediate action and informed Youth in Government, the program sponsoring the field trip, of the blasphemous remarks.
Sullivan was called to the principal’s office and asked to write an apology letter, a scolding that was revoked but nevertheless unnecessary in the first place.
Brownback currently holds a 52% disapproval rating in Kansas so it’s not surprising his level of paranoia is heightened. But as a conservative governor, it surprises me that his staff reacted so vehemently to a normal exercise of free speech.
Voicing opinions on the actions of elected officials is inherent in the First Amendment, a sentiment that didn’t exist in Kansas.
Eventually, Brownback conceded and issued an apology claiming he was sorry and saying his staff overreacted. Politicians should not be so consumed with social media or else it will lead to more embarrassing overreactions.