[dirtboy]

What happened to Freedom of Speech?

Well, there is another part of the First Amendment called Freedom of Association - if the newspaper in question doesn't want to run your ad because they disagree with the content, they don't have to. That ain't censorship, just as the Boy Scouts can't be forced to admit gays.

[No Truce With Kings]

It's like this: Freedom of the press belongs to the fellow that owns it.

Don't like it? Start your own newspaper. No law against it.

[Mr. Bird]

but I fail to see how a newspaper that is supposed to also be serving the interest of the public

A newspaper business is no more "serving the interest of the public" than a cable company is. They are serving their own interest, and that's ok.

[chimera]

My sense is that as a private business the newspaper can exercise editorial control, including choosing which paid advertising business they will accept. I recall there was this controversy with some campus newspapers refusing to run the Horowitz reparations ads. They can choose not to run them, and those so refused are free to criticize that choice in other venues that might be more accomodating to a diversity of viewpoints (and those are usually conservative, not liberal forums).

OTOH, the courts have muddied the waters a bit with rulings based on this "public accomodation" notion. Some of the opponents of the Boy Scouts tried to play this gambit, but it didn't pass muster. Other things have. I wonder if its been tried with newspapers and other forms of media?

[Mr. K]

Call them say you want to buy an ad denouncing the war.

Then call them and say you want to run a page supporing the war.

Tape record and transcribe the conversations (if they do not match)

Distribute locally on fliers and on the internet.

[Reb Raider]

Well, I would have been surprised that Brenham wouldn't let you say you support Pres. Bush in your ad. I understand your outrage after all the anti war and anti Bush garbage we have been subjected to. I will leave the legalities to the other posters and just say I support your attempt to try and get your point of view into the ad.

[Atlas Sneezed]

The only entity that can infringe your freedom of speech is the GOVERNMENT!

That private newspaper is free to print whatever they want on each page. You can't force them to print your stuff.

Freedom of speech means that the government can't stop you from printing up your own papers with your own content.