The House on Un-American Activities Committee held hearings to try to root out communists working in key American institutions. How did HUAC punish those it deemed being sympathetic to communism?

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

People who did not want to answer the questions from the Committee was indicted for contempt of Congress and were sent to prison. Some other people were put on a blacklist in the workplace and lost their jobs and found very difficult to find other company that hires them.

Many members of society considered that that represented such a "wich hunt," that only ruined people's reputation and limited their freedom of speech.