Contracts are deeper than “rights”

The defenders of “free speech” constantly miss the point of press freedom.

Greenwald is complaining that Fox News is suppressing Carlson’s “freedom” by enforcing its contract. Nope. Freedom of the press means that a publisher can’t be forced to publish OR retract any items.

Contracts are a deeper form of law than any “rights”. Contracts are the basis of all formal human relationships. The covenant between God and humans is seen as a contract in Judaism and Islam. Natural Law enforces the contract ruthlessly. Cultures that break the contract don’t last long, as we’re seeing right now.

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Remember that Fox was a movie studio for many decades before it branched out into making movie-style “news”. Studios have always written non-compete contracts with important actors, and actors have often been “silenced” when they tried to venture outside the contract.

Both parties enter the contract voluntarily. The actor restricts his employment outside the studio in exchange for several years of guaranteed wealth. He gets the wealth even if the studio doesn’t use him in any movies. Fox is carrying out its side of the bargain, paying Carlson without using him in any “movies”. It’s a damn good deal, and it’s also a rare modern example of the old pre-“rights” two-way loyalty.

Now he has two choices. He can officially terminate the contract and pay whatever penalty a court decides, or he can follow the contract and “silence” his outside activities. He’s already rich, and has vast opportunities to become richer, so he can easily afford the first choice. He can’t take the in-between.