The Seattle Times solicits "guest essays" that have a higher word limit (650) than letters to the editor (200). FWIW, here's my submission to oped@seattletimes.com. I don't expect anything to come of it, but feel better for having done it.
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An open letter to Mr. Iger and the executives at Disney and ABC Entertainment responsible for suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live
I urge you to take an honest look at your reasons for suspending Mr. Kimmel's show. If you do, I believe you will find they are indefensible rationalizations.
Mr. Kimmel said nothing about the political ideology of Mr. Kirk's killer. He pointed out that people who self-identify as MAGA, which countless analysts agree is a reactionary right-wing ideology, have been fervently characterizing Mr. Kirk's shooter as someone from the left (that is, not one of them).
That is simply a fact. You know it. I don't have to offer examples from the thousands of quotes. The purpose -- the "political points" they score -- is also obvious: To demonize the left.
Mr. Kimmel rightfully made no assertions about the political ideology of the shooter because that ideology is not known. As Nathan Taylor Pemberton pointed out in his Sept 14, New York Times Guest Essay, Charlie Kirk's Killing and Our Poisonous Internet, "The only thing that can be said conclusively about Mr. Robinson, at this moment, is that he was a chronically online, white American male." And, as Elle Reeve, a highly regarded investigative journalist with expertise on social media's role in extremism warns us, "Be careful trying to decipher the true political beliefs of people wrapped in so many layers of irony they're not sure of their own true beliefs."
Mr. Kimmel has nothing to apologize for.
If anything crosses a "red line" for a media entity that takes its responsibility to serve the public interest seriously, it is the extreme labels and calls to "crush," or otherwise do violence to Americans who peacefully make their opposition to Christian nationalism and MAGA ideology known. (Notably, according to a February 2025 survey from the Public Religion Research Institute, about two-thirds of Americans oppose Christian nationalism.)
On one side you have the reactionary right and Christian nationalists who support an executive branch determined to seize authoritarian power and demonize anyone who does not agree with them as "radicals." On the other side, you have people who treasure essential American values like self-governance, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, rule of law, and equal treatment under that law.
You cannot make both sides happy.
You can do the right thing, bring back Mr. Kimmel's show, and have the “MAGA gang” angry at you. Or you can do the wrong thing, keep his show off the air while you try to force an apology that is not called for, and have people who believe in essential American values angry at you.
If you choose the right course, and NextStar or other affiliates refuse to air it, you can bet that they will be hearing from Mr. Kimmel's fans.
And if the FCC tries to make good on its abusive threats to pull the licenses of affiliates who do air the show, I'm sure their legal departments have motions to enjoin drafted and ready to file in anticipation of such an action. Given the vindictive actions of Trump's executive branch against media companies to date, if they aren't prepared, they are derelict to the point of gross negligence.
Standing against government action to suppress free speech is the obligation of every patriotic American. And I believe it is also the obligation of every corporate entity that wishes to preserve their brand's reputation as an entity that upholds American values.
Yours in hope that you do the right thing and win back my subscription,
Patty
Full name, address, phone...
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