This morning, Andy Stone, Facebook’s policy communications manager (and, per his bio, a former staffer for Barbara Boxer, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the House Majority PAC), announced that the social-media giant would begin “reducing” the “distribution” of a New York Post investigation into emails purporting that Joe Biden met with a top executive from the Ukrainian natural-gas firm Burisma Holdings at the behest of his son Hunter Biden.
Bad idea.
In one of the emails reported by the Post, a Burisma executive named Vadym Pozharskyi thanks Hunter for inviting him to Washington to meet with the vice president in 2015.
If the Post report is to be believed, the Biden-Burisma meeting occurred less than a year before the vice president pressured Ukrainian officials to fire Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor investigating the company that was paying Hunter $50,000 per month for his alleged expertise. That is, by any journalistic standard, newsworthy.
Instead of simply asking pertinent questions, or debunking the Post’s reporting, a media blackout was initiated. A number of well-known journalists warned colleagues and their sizable social-media audiences not to share the story.
By the afternoon, Twitter had joined Facebook in suppressing the article, not only barring its users from sharing it with followers, but barring them sharing it through direct messages as well. It locked the accounts of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, the Post, and many others for retweeting the story.
There is no credible reason for this kind of targeted suppression. Over the past five years there have been scores of dramatic scoops written by major media outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CNN that were based on faulty information provided by unknown sources that turned out to be incorrect. Not once has Facebook or Twitter concerned itself with the sourcing methods of reporters. Not once did it censor any of those pieces.
Even today, Twitter users are free to share stories that rely on the Steele Dossier, which includes the Donald Trump “pee-tape” myth, despite the fact that we now know it was likely disinformation dropped into the media stream by a foreign power.
Twitter initially cited its “Hacked Materials Policy” and a “lack of authoritative reporting” as justification for censoring the Post, one of the most widely read papers in the nation. Though the reliability of the story is yet to be determined, Twitter has offered no evidence that any of the information was illegally obtained. No similar standard was applied when the New York Times published Trump’s tax returns, even though anyone who had legal access to them is likely to have broken the law in sharing them with the Times. The newspaper reports that Hunter Biden’s emails had turned up in the hard drive of a laptop that had been dropped off at a repair shop last year. The FBI is reportedly in possession of the hard drive.
Whatever the case, it’s all in the public record now. A healthy democracy with a properly functioning and independent press would debate, investigate, and rigorously factcheck new information. They wouldn’t work to squelch a story. It’s certainly not the job of giant tech companies who claim to function as neutral platforms to decide what news consumers can or can’t handle.
The most generous reading of Twitter and Facebook’s actions is that the rules are evolving, messy, and inadvertently unfair. A less generous — but more plausible — reading is that the tech giants single out specific stories damaging to progressives’ preferred presidential candidate.
It will backfire. For one thing, it further damages the reputation of Big Tech. For another, it renders the industry more susceptible to a new regulatory regime already being championed by some in Congress. Mostly, however, it just makes the story they’re trying to suppress a far bigger deal.
Ammo to regulate ALL, even LI is monitoring comments FYI LI= LinkedIn
See Parler.com & Telegram
Sign DataDividendProject.com
Twitter and Facebook are the face of the media’s communist party. Facist b@stards——-time to regulate these commies!!!!!!!!!
I have seen pictures from this laptop, and what Twitter and Facebook are doing is illegal censorship of this material. The FBI has allegedly had this information for a while now. Why isn’t DOJ doing anything?
Where there is no integrity–THERE IS NO SHAME. DISGRACE BOOK and TITTER have neither integrity or decency!!
If these platforms claim to be open forums with special legal protection, they MUST allow all comments (other than vulgarities) to be posted. Hopefully GOP will win back the House and a LAW removing their special status should be a TOP priority.
They can ignore it and even hide it or refuse to let anyone on their platforms share it…but they can’t make it nut true, they can’t make it go away and they can keep people from hearing about it from other more legitimate sources. It just makes them small and irrelevant.
The effort to suppress the story makes it appear to be a suppression of freedom. So this election was becoming an either freedom or political correctness set to manage the country before this laptop was examined. Now the stakes have become more obvious, standing out in neon lights. At least the waste of educational time and the damage being done in public schools is being discussed in some public school systems. Freedom is on the line: it is not just traditions that are in danger. If every person informs himself/herself and votes, we are OK. But if news sources decide to sort out good and bad stories for suppression, the news ceases to be informative and endangers freedom. I don’t think it will work. USA STRONG I will tune in for every rally just to see a crowd greet the president and hear that song which must have been divinely inspired “I am proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free”
That’s Socialism. What else needs to be said?
Judge Barrett says it best, and I agree: “No one is above the law.” How can we trust our government when we see a past vice president lie consistently, brag about his corruption and still run for the Presidency? I am 72 and I love America. Now I will say it too, Nobody is above the law. The only way I see to save our country is “drain the swamp” and President Trump is the only person in America I believe can do it.
Are they a platform or a publisher/editor? There may be some regulatory implications. No matter what,THEY ARE USING CENSORSHIP in their operation. I would suggest that they be invited to Washington to discuss things and admit what they are involved in. Repression of free speech is unconstitutional. The Swamp isn’t confined to any one group. MAGA/KAF/KAG TRUMP/PENCE 2020
That is exactly what the Democratic Deep State Socialist Party plans to put in place. It’s Socialism. Want it? Vote democratic.
Not only is Facebook and Twitter biased, they are infringing on First Amendment Rights of their users who are sharing the TRUTH and, in my humble opinion, they are demonstrating a conflict of interest. Both platforms should be shut down – I don’t have facts, however, it appears they create more controversy and chaos more so than helping families stay in touch. They appear to be nothing more than a digital form of the tabloids, promoting gossip and false information.
Again, what happened to good, old-fashioned journalism where the author is bound by providing factual information; and had the integrity to refrain from sharing libel and slanderous information.
It seems as though there is no shame in the media or big tech as to how far they will go to squelch a story that is critical of Biden, his son or the Obama administration. It is part of the deep state that is so rouge that all Americans should be very concerned for their own safety. These people in the elite left will stop at nothing, and common Americans are just pawns in their quest for power.
The most chilling line in the story has to be: “The FBI is reportedly in possession of the hard drive.” I hope that the HD does not end up like the Hillary evidence, where hard drives wiped themselves of their own volition while in government hands. Did the previous holders of that HD make a mirror copy of it? I sure hope so.
Other than that none of this comes as any surprise, or at least not to me. What does confuse me though is why people still continue to use these biased and dangerous services, even after they learn how they appear to be heavily biased against traditional American values. But even conservative commentators say, “Follow me on Farcebook or Twitter”. When I take them to task for doing this, telling them that they are enriching the opposition by doing so, they say it is a good way to get their message across to a wide range of individuals and refuse to boycott those sites.
I have never used any of those “social(ist) media” sites and I don’t plan to do so. How about YOU?
At least until the election I am suspending my usual screen name, “Press One for English”. It will return after the election is over, assuming it ever will be. For now though call me, “Just Say NO to Crazy Joe”. I’d make that a yard sign but if you drove through my neighborhood you could be forgiven if you concluded that Crazy Joe Biden was the only guy running for president. Some blocks, nearly every house has a Biden sign in the yard. It’s frightening.
Preach it! These actions by facebook and Twitter are in direct violation of the first amendment! Isn’t there a conservative that can create a “facebook” that we can join and leave facebook in the dust?
It has begun. The marxist large tech companies, in concert with their pals the communist main stream news media, are conspiring to limit American citizen access to free information. Where is the FCC? Where is the FEC? They need to do their jobs, now!
There is no doubt that Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms provide information purely to support their business model of generating ad revenue. They knowingly provide disinformation with that end as the primary objective. This is also true for Google, Bing and other search engines. I strongly urge everyone to watch a movie on Netflix called “Social Dilemma”. It is a damning expose on these companies unethical, if not outright illegal practices, by the very people who created the technology for these companies – who know and are scared of the implications for our society.
Actually, by banning this story, they’re making it more popular. If that wasn’t their intention, then they really are clueless.
Where is our government????This is what they are supposed to do, protect us, the people!!!!
It is truly amazing that the DemonRat Party had exerted so much effort to impeach President Trump over a harmless phone call to the Ukrainian President and now that there is the opportunity to expose what really happened, the Technocrats are covering it up! I watched a 3 part Documentary on OAN showing all the details of the Biden Burisma scandal from start to finish. They should have a Presidential Debate on that issue alone! While watching The Trump Card Documentary it was exposed how family members of Sleepy Joe have profited from his influence and political connections. To combat this blatant unfairness with Social Media tough new laws will have to be passed, strictly enforced and companies given hefty fines. I know many people are addicted to Social Media but perhaps boycotting them and creating new conservative companies will cure the problem. This reminds me of a line from No Safe Spaces “You have the right to free speech unless it offends me”! I know November 3rd is not far away but each day is filled with more and more outrageous stunts by The Left. We need to keep praying for America!
What/s new// where is the Justice Dept??? Twitter and Facebook are useless and stone cold liberals like their buddies in the media// As it has been claimed many times before// Everyone will get exactly what they have coming and the liberals are no exception//
It boggles my mind that all AMAC and news sources and pundits of the conservative right do is complain about Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and do absolutely nothing about it. It is time to bring Big Tech down monetarily. LEAVE THEM!! Go to GAB and Minds and Parler and other friendly communication platforms. You all sound like little children that have not got a clue!!
What do you expect? The left is in full war mode. No rules, no mercy and no conscience. Their aim is to forward the agenda regardless of what it takes. They have abandoned every American principle and standard. And they hope the rest of us are stupid enough to join them. We will lose everything that has taken us nearly 250 years to accomplish if they are successful.
Big technology is a propaganda machine for the radical left wishing to destroy Our Country, time to break up this cancerous media bunch.
Our first ammendment guaranteed free speech not censorship of all ideas that don’t fit their political narrative!
Shameful indeed – but sadly not surprising. They have no shame!!
Yes, the censorship imposed by the media giants is unconscionable. I would like to know what AMAC intends to do to correct this matter. For one open support for legislation or otherwise lawsuits of its own. Would love to hear
This specific case of censorship should be exhibit A in the federal anti-trust case against the social media conglomerate which should hopefully lead to the break up of organizations like facebook, Twitter, What’s app, and Instagram. Our country will be a lot better off with a myriad of little tiny facebooklets, and for that matter googlets, than it is now with big brother tech exerting its speech, and progressively thought control. I remember a time when the left used to routinely rebel against the “censorship” of the FCC because it restricted them from cussing and showing immorality, extreme violence, and nudity on TV; now that what would have been once considered porn on TV every night, that there is cussing and extreme foul language, violence in the extreme, and shows that advertise nudity in their title on a regular basis the same left that was howling has no problem with political censorship of public discourse via “social” media, and political “correctness”, clear text censorship of free speech and agenda control via DNC directed left wing media talking points.
“Political correctness” has killed comedy in our country to the degree that the left wing censors have become the comedians themselves, alas the laughter is stifled by the seriousness of their assault on freedom. They don’t stop with free speech, they feel the urge to censor history and revise it as well, they want to handle our Constitution like Play-Doh and shape it to their every whim: life is untouchable, unless it is just developing, or doesn’t display their political values, i.e. Downs, handicapped, or chronically ill and old. Due process, but not for those who politically oppose them. The electoral college needs to go, because it keeps the DNC from being able to win every election. All of a sudden we needed “hate crime” legislation, when before we just naturally assumed that all crime displayed an innate hatred for our values and laws.
The Democrat party and their cohorts have used censorship, and “political correctness” to divide our country at every turn, when are our leaders going to call them out for their perpetual “the ends justify the means” attitude that embraces our laws only when they suit them and denies every part of our civic life and start calling them what they are a hardcore Marxist communist movement, bent at completing the destruction of our country, now that they have made huge headway in the assault on freedom of religion, free speech, privacy, due process, and everything else that has made our country a magnet to people in search of freedom from around the world.
I for one will not let the DNC and its cohorts extinguish Lady Liberty’s torch and vote Trump/Pence 2020, I hope you will too!
Hey, nothing new here. The Dems and their buddies in the media are doing all they can to get President Trump out of the White House. And we all know that the socialist/communist takeovers include taking over all media. They already have 90% of the media in their hip pockets. Fox and Newsmax will be gone if they win. And they’re sure that they will win this time (just like with Hillary). Let’s give another four years of indigestion!! VOTE TRUMP 2020, we can and will win another four years of freedom and prosperity!! GO TRUMP!!
Repeal section 230 and let the lawsuits begin. Twitter and Facebook will change or be sued out of existence.
It would be nice if the media would state the truth and only the truth!!
Why would we be surprised? Dems have been censoring conservative voices since 2015…
In other words, they don’t want the truth to come out right now because it could hurt his election!!!!!! Do they really think we are that stupid?!?!?
I am a nobody, like most AMERICANS I mind my own business, work hard and treat people with respect, but when I see how people like General Flynn and K. McEneny get treated by the system I wonder if anyone sees how “WE THE PEOPLE” get treated? we are not rich so we cannot BUY the BEST defense money can BUY, which is not the way the legal system is supposed to “work” lawyers and judges like politicians have STOLEN to much power for themselves and super greedy corporate “leaders” are doing the same, if the socialists ever get control of this country whose wealth do they think will get redistributated, not mine I ain’t got none.
And that’s what it will be like under socialist rule (Democrat). Get out and Vote straight Republican!
I think this is shameful. The citizens of this Nation need to know how crooked Joe Biden and his family are and that they need to be punished. If this were one of the Trump children instead of Biden, the newspapers and twitter would be all over it. IT IS NOT RIGHT OR FAIR
Ministry of Propaganda. Sound famiar?
We need to prepare ourselves for crap like this with an Obiden presidency. Our country is starting to fall into an abysmal pit now with this stuff. Just imagine.
Only 3-weeks to election and all kinds of news coming out on both Trump & Biden. I am trying to tone out most of this smoke, as the two main items to focus on are the election on Nov 3rd & what is happening to USA as a result of Covid-19. I do not care if China caused this as we need to defeat it before we can go back to normal. The US does not have a National Plan to defeat the virus & WH seems to be counting on a vaccine (which is not a quick fix) or count on getting virus so that you might be immune. Meanwhile, the lack of a new stimulus package is causing considerable damage to middle/low income households & the number of small businesses that may never open again . And unemployment is ??? Quit fiddling while Rome burns.
Censorship is just the beginning! You think we cannot end up a third world country?? Think again! Maybe you do not like Trump but he will protect us! Get ready cause here it comes
The bright spot this week has been the solid performance of Amy Coney Barrett. Wow, is she on top of things !!!!!!!!
Shut them down! They will rig this election!0
true a. holes
I don’t know if the evil tide can be turned. I have never seen so much blatant election corruption in our country during my lifetime (72 yrs); there is news article after news article about the mail and ballot interference already. God’s Will be done, and God Bless our country, because the Democrat citizens are blinded by the MSM from the Truth. That is what we are seeing with this Biden scandal: blinded Democrats.
We have had 44-Presidents & 200-years of voting. So why would this election be full of fraud & corruption ? Trump is the first POTUS ever to claim that US elections are so full of crime. Makes no sense to me. Just taking away from the important issues.
What is with the Republicans in California putting out ballot boxes ?? The state told them to stop this & they said they will go to court. What is happening to the Republican party????????????????
Time for any/all special arrangements our government has allowed these propaganda monopolies to end.
It’s either free speech or not, granting some political biased people to decide what conversation is okay or not is an assault on freedom!!
Our representatives need to stop this now.
I believe nothing is being done because the Fix is in. The Dems have bought, paid for and lied to win this election. Biden has had 50 years to do something for the American people. Can you name anything positive he has done for America? His family has become quite wealthy over this time. Coming from a low middle class family, I know Biden is not a middle class person. Do you think he really is? Nobody in any country just hands out all this money to someone like Hunter B without wanting or getting something for it. The Biden’s have sold out America, The FBI has been very corrupt evidenced by the fake drummed up Trump charges. They haven’t even prosecuted the treason culprits from their own team. Who can have confidence in them except the Dems. All these billionaires contributing all this money for the Biden win are also expecting something in return-Believe it! Controlling the Press sound like a page right out of the Nazi’s and Communist playbook-doesn’t it? To complicate everything else, the mail in ballots these days are a scam-just look around. They could have delayed the election until the virus got more under control but to many people would loose money and who knows how long Bobble headed Biden will last. Anyone caught selling out our Country should be immediately executed. Sounds harsh huh? But too many of us have fought, bled and died for our Great Country-Let’s not have the corrupt Dems,and or corrupt organizations sell us out. Vote for our great President Trump! Make it count.
This is unfortunately typical of the actions of the liberal media. What I do not understand is what is the thought process behind suppression of real news by news organizations. Of course they are biased, of course they oppose anyone disagreeing with their personal view points. What is disappointing to me, as an old man who has spent his life observing trends in the USA, is the obvious lack of neutrality in their reporting. What, after all is a news organization doing if they are not reporting news events in a manner that allows their readers or observers as the case may be, to make their own decisions about the events represented. I wonder what Ben Franklin and his employees at their newspaper would think of the present methods of “news” presented to the American public. I have to think it is nearer to what was presented in the past by Pravda.
Well, I’m to old for this twitter BS, just hope the kids now a days question BS like this. Social media is all pretty much BS, brainwashing our kids, hopefully they’ll grow up quick and realize what a POS social media is. Which reminds me, is social short for socialist?
It goes to show how egocentric these companies are. Who is going to take their version of anything as the truth? All these actions will do is move the audience to a different unbiased tool to get their information and free thinking opinions out to the world. I personally avoid these invasive tools and use products that turns off their trackers. I can think for myself and will vote for freedom, not oppression.