Free speech is one of those ideas Americans love to celebrate in the abstract while quietly ignoring its price tag in the real world. We talk about the First Amendment as if it were free like the air we breathe. It is not. Free speech costs money. Independent journalism costs even more. And when the bills come due, even established institutions like the Washington Post are not immune.

The recent layoffs at the Washington Post were met with predictable outrage and sorrow. Journalists lost their jobs, careers were disrupted, and families were hurt. Sympathy is both appropriate and necessary. At the same time, all of this was expected. The paper has struggled financially for years. A business cannot lose money indefinitely and simply hope prestige will fill the gap. You cannot lose money and make up for it with even more of the same.

The Washington Post is not a charity. It is a business in a competitive market. Even if it is owned by one of the wealthiest people on the planet, that owner did not become wealthy by endlessly subsidizing failure. Jeff Bezos did not build Amazon by pretending losses were virtues. At some point, hard decisions are unavoidable. Layoffs are painful, but denial can hurt even more.

This is where the conversation about free speech often turns dishonest. Many commentators........

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