Words Can Be Heavy; The Ripples They Create Are Great

The twelfth month of any year is a time for reflection. Looking back at 2025, politics and political opinions were a large part of what news covered, which led to conversation and debate well beyond the usual and expected platforms of talk radio and social media.

Be it for the inauguration of the President, natural disasters, acts of violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, or the government shutdown, this year will be remembered as one with an exceptionally active news cycle. The era we’re living in is at times divisive, be it based on differences of opinion or on disparate beliefs and lifestyles.

A couple of years ago, during one of the Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Awards Luncheons, a young country artist whose history included being maligned by heavy words began her rise from the ashes by performing live in front of a media-heavy audience. Harper Grace, who at age 11 sang the National Anthem at a sporting event where things went terribly wrong, suffered humiliation and attacks as big as having late-night television hosts make fun of her.

The young artist struggled, endured, and eventually overcame the naysayers, competed on American Idol, mounted a grassroots tour, and today is signed to Curb Records. She is an artist who has a great career ahead of her. Harper is someone that you want to see succeed because she endured the level of humiliation no one should, let alone a pre-teen child. She’s a really nice person. God fearing. Very, very talented. Her story is one many can relate to; just change the where and how, and it might be yours.

“The weight of your words … are heavier than ever and the ripples that they create … are greater than ever.” I first heard those words from one of my former employers. He said it to me following an error in judgment by a member of my team. I repeated those words when I introduced Harper at the Gracies Luncheon. The look of acknowledgment from the audience that I saw on the faces of national anchors and personalities, for both radio and television, let me know that I was heard. What I don’t know is if the message was retained. Arguably, it had little impact as there is still a stream of entertainment that is founded on the humiliation of others.

The weight of our words and the consequences that follow is something to be remembered by those of us whose words are listened to on large platforms. It’s something to be remembered by those of us who are responsible for content creation. We have seen and heard such evidence on many news platforms across North America. Often by those who wave the First Amendment as if it’s an “Olly Olly Oxen Free” card. It is a fine line between Freedom of Speech and crossing the line to violate the First Amendment. It may surprise some that there are exceptions to having the right to free speech. Free speech does not mean that anyone can say anything they want in any and every situation.

Categories of speech that are given lesser or no protection by the First Amendment (and therefore are restricted) include obscenity, fraud, child pornography, speech integral to illegal conduct, speech that incites imminent lawless action, speech that violates intellectual property law, true threats, and some commercial speech, such as in advertising.

Here’s what this doesn’t mean: you can’t incite violence, create panic, and despite what you may have heard in an example, you cannot yell “Fire” in a theatre. It is important to note that First Amendment protections apply to government censorship, not the rules of private companies, employers, or social media platforms. That doesn’t dismiss being responsible.

We’ve also seen a lack of empathy and sympathy for others from some national and local voices. This magnification of a less kind mood has a negative impact on the psyche of many of us, which leads me to predict a backlash that could lead to “the great turn-off.” It’s happened before. The news becomes so negative, the commentary so vitriolic, that the audience abandons their normal listening and viewing patterns in search of a break. Think about your own mood-enhanced media habits. I revert to my guilty pleasures, avoid the news, and search for those things that I can enjoy mindlessly. The audience’s feelings often mirror our own emotions and moods.

The bottom line: The news needs to be reported, but isn’t it time for a breather from the magnification of controversy?

Does every story require commentary? Shouldn’t we, if appropriate, be thinking about a focus that is more on positives than negatives? Can we eliminate humor that is at someone else’s expense? Are we destined to continue to fan the flames of dissent in 2026 as we saw done this year?

We need to be responsible. The assassination of Charlie Kirk should have been a wake-up call. Instead, it continues to serve as a lightning rod for those with diametrically opposed opinions. If you’ve never watched the movie The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, watch it.  If you’ve never seen the movie Talk Radio, based on the life and death of KOA/Denver personality Alan Berg, watch that film, too. They’re both stories with strong messages, one fictional and one based on a true story.

They both emphasize what can happen if we fail to recognize the weight of our words.