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Feb 24 2021

Congress Leans on Cable Providers to Censor Conservatives

It isn’t hyperbole; we really are under threat of losing our most basic liberties, prominently including freedom of speech. It should make every American’s hair stand on end that two Democrat members of Congress sent letters Monday attempting to intimidate cable and internet television services into dropping Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News Network for offering an alternative viewpoint.

The Blaze reports:

The letters from U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, both of California, were addressed to AT&T, Verizon, Roku, Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Charter, Dish, Cox, Altice, Alphabet, and Hulu. The letters leveled numerous accusations against the aforementioned news networks, including that their coverage helped the “radicalization of seditious individuals who committed acts of insurrection on January 6” at the U.S. Capitol.

Not even the Buffalo Guy himself could pose half the threat to our constitutional system of government as Democrats as they consolidate power.

“Some purported news outlets have long been misinformation rumor mills and conspiracy theory hotbeds that produce content that leads to real harm,” the letters said. “Misinformation on TV has led to our current polluted information environment that radicalizes individuals to commit seditious acts and rejects public health best practices, among other issues in our public discourse.”

Don’t complain about voter fraud. Don’t disagree with whatever Dr Fauci’s latest position might be. Otherwise, you too may be accused of peddling “conspiracy theories” and “misinformation.”

Eshoo and McNerney demanded in their letters that cable providers explain “what moral or ethical principles (including those related to journalistic integrity, violence, medical information, and public health) do you apply in deciding which channels to carry or when to take adverse actions against a channel?”

The First Amendment prohibits Democrats from banning channels that deviate from their narrative. So first they try leaning on private companies to do it for them. Nice cable company you’ve got there. Shame if bureaucrats were to regulate it into bankruptcy.

The letters also asked the cable providers to detail what steps they’ve taken to “monitor, respond to, and reduce the spread of disinformation” from news networks they carry, as well as any punitive measures they’ve taken against such channels — and if they plan to carry networks like Fox News, Newsmax, and OANN once contracts expire.

Democrats conflate the words “disinformation” and “misinformation.” Both now having little meaning other than to refer to information they want suppressed.

The letters were penned ahead of a hearing set Wednesday — “Fanning the Flames: Disinformation and Extremism in the Media” — to be hosted by a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which Eshoo and McNerney sit, CNBC reported.

If cable providers don’t take the hint, legislation will be required. As for the First Amendment, don’t forget Biden’s handlers may follow through on the implicit threat to pack the Supreme Court.

As always, the Democrat Party and the liberal establishment media are on the same page:

The Democrats’ letters mirror CNN’s assertion last month that cable providers should “face questions for lending their platforms to dishonest companies that profit off of disinformation and conspiracy theories” — and again the three named were Fox News, Newsmax, and OANN.

Naomi Wolf is not the only liberal with enough integrity to be alarmed at where this is heading. Gasps Glenn Greenwald,

Not even two months into their reign as the majority party that controls the White House and both houses of Congress, key Democrats have made clear that one of their top priorities is censorship of divergent voices. …

[T]he justifying script Democrats are using here is the one most commonly employed by autocrats around the world to silence their critics. Those they seek to silence are not merely expressing a different view, but are dangerous. They are not merely advocating alternative ideologies but are destabilizing society with lies, fake news, and speech that deliberately incites violence, subversion and domestic terrorism. …

This is the rationale invoked by virtually every repressive state to imprison journalists and ban media outlets. …

[C]orporate media outlets and Democrats (excuse the redundancy) who spent the last four years posturing as virulent defenders of press freedoms never meant it. Like so much of what they claimed to believe, it was fraudulent. The proof is that they are now mute, if not supportive, as Democrats use their status as majority party to launch an assault against press freedoms far more egregious than anything Trump got close to doing.

Unfortunately, few other liberals have objected to the federal government attempting to seize control over political discourse. They assume that the power will be wielded on behalf of their chosen ideology, so they don’t have a problem with it.

On a tip from ABC of the ANC.


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One Response to “Congress Leans on Cable Providers to Censor Conservatives”

  1. […] cannot be overstressed how appalling it is that two Democrats in Congress have sent menacing letters to cable and internet televisions […]


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