Laura Ingraham Is Still Losing Advertisers, Wants You To Think She's A Hero For Free Speech

By Kristy Puchko | Politics | April 12, 2018 |

Fox News host Laura Ingraham might have hoped her tweet targeting Parkland shooting survivor and gun reform advocate David Hogg would blow over by the time she returned from her week-long “vacation” from The Laura Ingraham Show. No such luck, Laura! The threat of boycotting brands that back her is so intense that the conservative talk show is still hemorrhaging sponsors.

Tuesday night, after Blue Apron and Slim Fast ads played during The Laura Ingraham Show’s commercial breaks, both companies publicly announced it’d be the last time.

We were unaware that our ad would be running on The Laura Ingraham Angle last night. We will no longer be advertising on the show, and will be working with our media buying partners to more closely monitor where our ads appear going forward. — Blue Apron (@blueapron) April 10, 2018

We have stopped advertising on the Laura Ingraham show and have no plans to resume in the near future. We are also monitoring all ad placements carefully. — SlimFast (@SlimFast) April 10, 2018

The Wrap reports IBM and Mitsubishi have also ended their sponsorship of the show, bringing the count to 24. The site notes “The Ingraham Angle” has been forced to slash ad time, due to lack of sponsors.

Meanwhile, conservatives are calling this boycott censorship, because they have no concept of how censorship or freedom of speech actually works. Fox News co-president Jack Abernathy told the LA Times, “We cannot and will not allow voices to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts.”

Then there’s Breitbart, who’s chosen the angle that Hogg is a bully for urging people to boycott, and tried to argue that if advertising on Ingraham isn’t good for business at least it’s not bad for it. Just ask MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell who says sales remain “strong” despite his continued support of the Fox News show. (Just don’t look at the 24 companies dropping their ads to avoid downturns in sales!)

Of course, some suggest that Ingraham’s apology should be enough:

Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA —incl. @DavidHogg111. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland. For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David…(1/2) — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 29, 2018

Forget that Hogg rejected it, because it seemed to be more damage control than sincere.

Q: Do you accept Ingraham’s apology?

DAVID HOGG: No. She’s only apologizing after a third of her advertisers pulled out, and I think it’s really disgusting the fact that she basically tried promoting her show after apologizing to me. (CNN) pic.twitter.com/9NEYLPRJIn — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 30, 2018

And I guess ignore that Ingraham herself returned to her show acting like a warrior for the First Amendment, instead of a national TV figure who used her platform to mock a teenager.

In a segment that she begins by referencing a Dinesh D’Souza book, she insists that liberals have gone from “championing free speech to stifling it.” She suggests colleges are brainwashing students to liberalism. She uses the phrase “all that malarky about the ‘patriarchy,’” yes putting the word in air quotes, along with “micro-aggressions” and “safe spaces” and “white privilege.” She insists their words are used by the left as “bludgeons to intimidate those who disagree with them from entering the dialogue at all. So for all their talk of left doesn’t invite more voices to enter the public discussion. Instead, they drive out any dissenting voice, and police the dogma of their own creation.”

Ironically, Ingraham insists that liberals arguing with conservatives is inherently impeding the free speech of conservatives. Ingraham essentially uses this segment as a means of repositioning herself from a bully to a hero. She declares there’s been a “contraction of free speech all around us.” She suggests that “editing yourselves” by not saying something potentially offensive in public means liberals are winning in their battle to censor conservative expression. She sees boycotts not as a form of freedom of speech, but an obstacle to hers. Which again, is not how freedom of speech works. The constitution promises the government will not impinge on your right to say whatever you want. It does not protect you from the world’s reactions to it, from the consequences of mocking a teenager who’s become a symbol of resistance, reliance, and hope to millions.

“The free speech clause of the constitution does not just apply to the speech the elites deem acceptable,” said the wealthy white woman, who in 2017 was reported to be paid $2 million a year to talk on national television, “It exists to support speech that is—by—its nature offensive.” Being offensive is not just your right, it’s the American way! Or something!

“The goal posts, by the way,” Ingraham complains,”Are forever moving!” Laura, it’s not a “Stalinist” conspiracy. The conversation is advancing. And you’re not a part of it not because words like micro-aggression and privilege are chasing you off. You’re not a part of it because you’re shutting down to even hearing what those words mean. You’re throwing your hands up when people object to your words, and declare it’s rigged against you. Even though the Republicans have control of the government. Even though this sprawling boycott has not cost you your job. Even though you continue to act as if it’s not you who did something wrong. Instead, you blame the minor you targeted, who fired back by the protected and deeply American action of speaking out and inciting political action through boycott. Yet in the whole ten-minute segment, you didn’t have the guts to say Hogg’s name.

The issue is not “the speech police,” Laura. The issue is that you refuse to engage in this conversation at all, digging deeper to fire up your base with astounding leaps in logic and wilful misrepresentation of liberal ideology.

Good luck, Laura. You’re going to need it. The Blue Wave is coming. Hogg has just turned 18, and is urging his generation to get out and vote. And as you point out in this segment, these kids aren’t all Right. They’re liberal. They’re activists. And they’re not afraid of you.

Now that I’m 18 I can vote will you? — David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 12, 2018

Kristy Puchko is the managing editor of Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter.