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David DesRosiers
David DesRosiers is the publisher of RealClearMedia and president of the RealClear Media Fund, which supports the cause of free speech through its annual Samizdat Prize, and its reporting, and the viewpoint diversity method.
On February 11th, RealClear will host its third annual Samizdat Prize Gala at The Breakers in beautiful Palm Beach, Florida. The Samizdat Prize is an annual award given to journalists, authors, and public figures who resist censorship and stand for truth. One such example is Graham Linehan, the award-winning Irish comedy writer, whose life was upended for publicly expressing reservations about transgender individuals in women’s-only spaces.
Linehan is not a household name in the United States. But across the Atlantic, he has been among the most acclaimed TV writers, co-writing wildly successful sitcoms such as Father Ted, The IT Crowd, and Black Books. He has won five BAFTAs, a prestigious prize awarded to the best of the best in British and international television. Charlie Chaplin, Steven Spielberg, and Audrey Hepburn were also recipients of BAFTAs. Father Ted was even going to be made into a musical.
But all this success came to a crashing halt. Why?
Linehan had the temerity to like a tweet that expressed reservations about trans ideology.
The retribution of the mob was swift. At first, his tweets and social media posts triggered a flurry of nasty replies – including one that read, “I wish the cancer had won,” during his battle with testicular cancer in 2018. Then, in 2020, his X (formerly Twitter) account was permanently suspended for “repeated violations of our rules against hateful conduct and platform manipulation” (Linehan’s account was restored by Elon Musk following his acquisition of the company). During the social media firestorm and backlash to his posts, Linehan’s wife divorced him amid the pressure of negative media attention and legal cases.
Just months ago, upon landing at Heathrow Airport, he was arrested by five Metropolitan Police officers. His crime? A series of tweets that were critical of trans activists and trans activism. In England, where there is no First Amendment, tweets can be prosecuted as hate speech.
Even in handcuffs, Linehan refused to back down.
As we look to our friends across the pond, we here in the States are reminded of why the First Amendment comes first in the Bill of Rights. Without the ability to speak and express ourselves freely, we are, in effect, not free citizens at all, but rather, subjects to the whim of whatever speech and conduct the state permits.
Our prize rewards First Amendment courage, like Linehan’s, that improves our shared public lives. If you want to live in a society free of censorship, come to the event and experience it. It is an ennobling experience.
Linehan will be honored alongside Harvard Law professor and First Amendment warrior Alan Dershowitz and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Even if you can’t come to Palm Beach for the dinner, still consider supporting the prize with a donation. We give out three prizes of $25,000 each, which is almost double the Pulitzer’s. It’s a big rock to push up the funding hill every year. We can use your help. This year marks RealClear’s 25th year in operation. Our experiment in self-government is turning 250 and is showing its age. Our “Republic, if you can keep it” runs on free speech.
Our City on the Hill shines because it is polished through the free exercise of viewpoint diversity. Without free speech, the promise of our Declaration of Independence – our IPO for a free people and politics – is meaningless.
What can one person do to make a difference? Join us.
We are better, stronger, and more consequential together.
I hope to see you there.
For questions regarding the gala, as well as how to sign up, please contact RealClear’s Advancement Coordinator, Frank Filocomo, at frank@realclear.com.
This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.
