Free Speech Is a Right; Respect Is a Responsibility | ARC

Timing, venue, and state law shape what you say—and what it costs. Accounting ARCWith Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny ShimamotoCenter for Accounting TransformationThis conversation focuses on practice, not politics. Accounting leaders are urging firms to pair open expression with professional responsibility as political tensions spill into workplaces and social media feeds. In a new episode of Accounting ARC, hosts Liz Mason, CPA, CEO of High Rock Accounting; Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA, CEO of VERIFYiQ and co-founder of TB Academy; and Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies and the Center for Accounting Transformation, outline practical guardrails for speech that keep trust at the center. RELATED ARC: Talk Politics Professionally | Cancel Culture or Curious Culture? You Choose (Assumed Discrimination) | What Happens in Vegas…Gets Reported on a Tax Return (Working in “Sin” Industries) | Your Identity Is Not a Liability (Pride Week) | Etienne: Decoupling DEIB – A Nuanced Approach |The conversation opens with a condemnation of political violence and a call for grace as individuals and firms process fast-moving events. From there, the hosts shift to the workplace: what employees say online and in public often follows them to the office, and leaders must navigate the implications for culture, clients, and brand.