CBS deciding not to air a commercial does not infringe on anybody's free speech. CBS is not a public forum. They are a company looking to turn a profit, and it is their decision how they will do that. While they certainly have the right to air the commercial if they want to -- we, as the consumers, also have a right to tell them how much we dislike it. CBS needs to consider the image they are projecting to their consumers.
CBS also has the right to refuse to air commercials, since they are the ones taking in the money. I'm sure that if the KKK or Neo-Nazis* made a bit for a Superbowl commercial slot, CBS would have turned them down immediately. So no, "free speech" is not "protected" where business dealings are concerned.
*(I am not saying that FoF is equivalent to any of those organizations. I was just using them as an extreme example.)
no subject
CBS deciding not to air a commercial does not infringe on anybody's free speech. CBS is not a public forum. They are a company looking to turn a profit, and it is their decision how they will do that. While they certainly have the right to air the commercial if they want to -- we, as the consumers, also have a right to tell them how much we dislike it. CBS needs to consider the image they are projecting to their consumers.
CBS also has the right to refuse to air commercials, since they are the ones taking in the money. I'm sure that if the KKK or Neo-Nazis* made a bit for a Superbowl commercial slot, CBS would have turned them down immediately. So no, "free speech" is not "protected" where business dealings are concerned.
*(I am not saying that FoF is equivalent to any of those organizations. I was just using them as an extreme example.)