One of the most prominent conservatives in the country that I admire is Sean Hannity. His program on Fox News, as well as his radio show, are two of the greatest sources of truth in the media. He’s a down-to-earth, honest journalist who speaks the truth during a time that the media is favorable to fake news. Not only is he a great news anchor, he is a great American.

My parents have listened to Hannity’s radio show as well as his show that was previously with Alan Colmes for many years. I have admired Hannity for his ability to stay a strong conservative voice in the media, despite the multitudes of people who have tried to silence him.

Hannity inspires me, as he has done so since my childhood. His record has proven that he is a champion for all conservatives, and that gives me hope for America’s future.

This was particularly evident during the 2016 election season where Hannity gave then candidate Trump the opportunity that most media outlets wouldn’t: the opportunity to speak the truth about what he could accomplish as President of the United States.

Media outlets like CNN were adamant on portraying Trump as bad for America, when Hannity actually gave President Trump a chance. It’s no secret that Hannity is a Trump supporter, but he saw the challenges the liberal media were creating for Trump when other journalists didn’t.

He saw Trump as a strong supporter for conservative ideology early in the election, something Trump has proved to Americans during his first 100 days in office.

Hannity has inspired millions of people to engage in the political process to Make America Great Again. No person has the right to tear down a great American who has actively supported the men and women who serve in our armed forces and raised millions of dollars for pro-troop charities.

When I stumble across stories that slander those who inspire me, I’m greatly disheartened. The radical left has tried for years to silence Hannity, and they have ultimately been unsuccessful. But in the light of the situation with Bill O’Reilly and Fox News, a new allegation of unwanted sexual advances his arisen from a former Fox News guest whose career consists of one cruel attack after another.

Debbie Schlussel accused Hannity of inviting her to his hotel room before and after a debate with a pro-Palestinian guest in Detroit. Schlussel said she rejected his advances and was never invited on his show again. Hannity responded to this individual’s claims on Monday, denoting she has a history of spreading lies about him.

“It is not the first time I’ve had to deal with this individual’s lies about me,” Hannity said. “Back in 2010, I was raising money for the Freedom Alliance, a charity that offers college scholarships to the children of fallen or injured veterans and their families.”

“In a blog post, the individual falsely accused me and members of the charity of skimming and stealing donations,” he continued. “Each and every single allegation was proven to be untrue and inaccurate at the time, yet I was never given an apology. No correction was issued.”

Once Hannity threatened litigation against Schlussel, she backed away from the media reports saying she was sexually harassed in an interview with Lawnewz. She told them that she didn’t believe what had happened between them was sexual harassment by a legal definition.

“I would never accuse him of that. Sexual harassment has a special meaning under the law, and I would never accuse him of that,” Schlussel said.

In the interview, she confirmed that she never thought she was harassed by Hannity, but rather she thought he was “weird and creepy, not someone I liked.”

In a time where the political climate is fiercely divided, Hannity is right to assume that this was a coordinated effort to not only him, but rather every conservative voice left in the country. Liberal fascism persists in America, and outspoken conservatives have to pay the price for their slanderous lies.

“Liberal fascism is alive and well in America today, and its goal is simple: To shut up, shut down and completely silence all conservative voices by any means necessary,” Hannity said.

Hannity is right — the liberal fascists believe that the other side needs to be silenced rather than disagreed with. This is obvious in the situation that Ann Coulter faces at Berkeley. Hannity and Coulter aren’t the only conservatives this is happening to.

The liberal media has a problem with what we conservatives have to say, and rather than just merely disagree with it, they believe we shouldn’t have a voice in the media at all. I find that it is significantly difficult to speak to radical liberals who know my political affiliation. I rarely have the opportunity to say how I feel before I’m silenced, probably due to my approval of President Trump.

Hannity laid out the differences between conservatives and those on the radical left on Monday.

“Unlike the left, I don’t have any problem with what the other side says. If you want to listen to liberals on radio or TV, read their articles, follow them on social media, go for it.”

“I will answer their free speech with my own. I’ll call them out for their bias,” he continued. “I’ll explain why they’re wrong. I’ll debate them. But I’ll never, ever say they should be silenced. And I won’t support boycotts to attack their advertisers, a roundabout way of silencing them.”

For those readers who disagree with me, I encourage you to send me an email about why you disagree with me. I respect your opinions, and I welcome the chance to talk about my articles with you. I will never tell you that your opinion is wrong and you don’t deserve to be heard. I don’t have any problem with what the other side says.

Next time you speak to someone whose political affiliation is different than yours, I ask you to take a step back and hear them out, before you try to silence them. Take the time to create a quality debate based on facts, not slanderous lies. When freedom of speech is threatened, America is no longer free.

Liz Kacher is a staff writer for   The Dakota Student. She can be reached at  [email protected]