Of course you can - but if you’re a TV show host a 40,000+ of your audience complain, there are going to be consequences.

Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequence.

It's also entirely about how you put your point across. He could have done so in a far more measured fashion and I severely doubt he'd have got as many complaints, or be pulled up by ITV for directly and so aggressively going against the grain re. their corporate stance on mental health. But that's not his style.

People also seem to forget this isn't Piers saying something on his own, he's saying it as part of ITV, a corporation, and they have their own culture, rules, red lines etc. And an audience base to generate revenue from.

Free speech is fine under your own banner. When you're employed by a corporation that has very recently been taken to task over failings as a result of all the deaths and issues around Love Island, for example, it really leaves very little room for manoeuvre. Especially when said corporation has made mental health the current cornerstone of their brand.

They would clearly have pushed for him to make a statement with at least a marginally conciliatory tone. He's refused, his right, so they've taken the view that the damage to their brand and their credibility regarding the still very fresh mental health message is worse than being hypocritical and keeping him on.

I don't see how ITV could have persisted with him after such an aggressive stance against, what is for them, such a sensitive issue. Had he worded it differently, or been less aggressive, perhaps.

The consequences of free speech are more severe when you're an ITV figurehead trying to say what you like within a corporation that has values, has recently been destroyed for the exact thing you've not just laid into but completely annihilated, and that pays you millions to do so.

He's arguably freer on other platforms such as the Mail as they don't have any values whatsoever. So no corporate clash there.

That's just reality.

Did you know? 98.0000001% of people are morons.

I used to think piers Morgan was funny. Similar to Adrian Durham when I first heard him , but ended up thinking he was a shouty, upper class , opinionated c*nt.
agree with some of his opinions , TVAM ( or whatever they call it now) was becoming ‘the piers Morgan show’. He c*nted off/shouted down all the guests so much, that anyone worth listening to didn’t want to go on there.
Absolutely mugged himself when he stormed off, after the stick he gave other people.
Was too opinionated for 6am , don’t need that when you first wake up.
Although that boring West Ham mug (Ben Shepard), looks like he needs a years sleep ,Charlotte (don’t know her last name) and the mixed race weather man are as dull that they need a complete new line up.
And parish’s mrs was like piers Morgan’s little puppet.
There’s a big opportunity for a decent morning show if someone can sort it out.
Back to sky sports news for me again before work.

Edited by Casual (11 Mar 2021 6.39am)

Freedom of speech?

[Link]

I’ve always hated Morgan’s way of presenting news (his life stories programmes are pretty good though), but fair play for dying on his sword for standing by this being a sham, even if he knows or is confident he’ll be offered more big contracts. I think he probably knew many people didn’t believe it or think they weren’t treated badly like they’ve said.

Edited by Rudi Hedman (11 Mar 2021 10.44am)

COYP

I think complaining about Morgan's style is always a reasonable position. But the man knows that he's a shock jock and he knows that it's a successful market role that suits his personality.

ITV knew exactly who they were getting when they hired him. They have benefited financially from both the publicity and the viewing figures.

Indeed, what they have done here is likely to damage both....and can be chalked down as a corporation putting ideology before profits.

I'm mixed over this part.

One part of me agrees that any organisation should have the right to hire and fire who they wish over what they wish....which is essentially what's happened here.

This is libertarianism 101 and is a core principle of much conservatism and so any argument that touches on this makes it hard for any non leftist to disagree.

But this isn't actually what the law says. The actual law has condition upon condition on companies restricting them on what they can and can't sack someone for.

I've thought about this juxtaposition quite a lot, especially since the 'gay cake' business and I don't think there is a 'good position'.

For myself I've finally fallen down upon the 'free market' position rather than the list of endless conditions that result from cultural climates....which basically allows for authoritarian cultural control where everyone (whether they agree or not) is essentially forced to agree with the hegemony....to bend the knee as it were.

So yeah, feel free to sack Morgan if you feel he's misrepresenting your brand. Ultimately...you pays the dosh, you should have the right. However, also feel free to sack or hire anyone for anything....but that's not the case and that freedom isn't there.

So while I think you're being honest with your thoughts on this I think that some on the left are very 'pick and choose' when they use the libertarian position....because essentially liberty falls below other considerations.

I realise that this would result in companies behaving in some less ethical ways as to who they do and don't employ...as I said, it isn't perfect, but I regard that as the lesser evil.

So as long as Morgan is allowed to operate his brash style for another TV or media company without restriction (which should be the case for anybody, even though we know it isn't) then I don't think this is a significant problem.....Personally I'd like to hear from David Starkey again.

What shouldn't be allowed to happen in society is a situation where only one narrative is allowed to dominant media discourse where it doesn't represent the actual make up of society.....and unfortunately it has...it's been seen with both Brexit and politics in general....half the country are very poorly represented and other groups completely excluded.

At least with GB news this disparity will be corrected to some extent.

Edited by Stirlingsays (11 Mar 2021 11.41am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)