In a move that should be condemned by all American’s as a “troubling” attack on the free press, Democrats are pressuring cable and digital operators to censor Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax.
Ahead of Wednesday’s House Democrats subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing entitled, “Fanning the Flames: Disinformation and Extremism in the Media.”
On Monday, California Democrats (what else is new) Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney sent a disturbing letter to every major cable and digital TV provider in the US.
The letter addressed to cable and satellite providers Comcast, AT&T, Spectrum, Dish, Verizon, Cox, and Altice, as well as digital carriers Amazon, Apple, Google, Hulu, and Roku, demanded to know are at least planning to censor Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax?:
“Are you planning to continue carrying Fox News, OANN, and Newsmax on your platform both now and beyond the renewal date?”
Two Democratic members of Congress are pressuring the CEOs of the country's major TV providers to essentially purge the news networks these Members don't like, on the basis of the alleged danger posed by "misinformation and conspiracy theories" https://t.co/QyNyy0dPdX pic.twitter.com/DcxX68sLNt
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 22, 2021
Democrats Will Use The Capitol Hill Riots As An Excuse To Cancel and/or Censor Fox News, OAN & Newsmax
Eshoo and McNerney also asked what steps the providers took prior to and after the November 3, 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot “to monitor, respond to, and reduce the spread of disinformation, including encouragement or incitement of violence by channels your company disseminates to millions of Americans?”
This was a reference to the three networks giving space to President Donald Trump and his supporters to make accusations of irregularities in the 2020 election, which the Democrats have blamed for what they claim was an “insurrection” at the Capitol.
McNerney and Eshoo sit on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, whose subcommittee on Communications and Technology is scheduled to hold a hearing on “traditional media’s role in promoting disinformation and extremism” on Wednesday.
While the subcommittee did not name any names, they said the “increasing reliance on conspiracy theories and misleading or patently false information” at some networks “raises questions about their devotion to journalistic integrity.”
The letter attracted the attention of Brendan Carr, the lone Republican on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who condemned it as “a chilling transgression” of free speech rights in the US.
“[Democrats] are sending a message that is as clear as it is troubling—these regulated entities will pay a price if the targeted newsrooms do not conform to Democrats’ preferred political narratives,”
A newsroom’s decision about which stories to cover and how “should be beyond the reach of any government official, not targeted by them,” Carr argued, asking his FCC colleagues to “join me in publicly denouncing this attempt to stifle political speech and independent news judgment.” As of Monday afternoon, they have not done so.
Glenn Greenwald Rips Democrats Attempt to Censor What They Don’t Like
Democrats are “saying it explicitly” that they want to “police and censor both social media and cable news,” journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted on Monday, as the issue came up during the Senate confirmation hearings of Merrick Garland, nominated to serve as attorney general in the Biden administration.
There is no reasonable dispute that one of the top agenda items of Democrats now that they control the WH & Congress is to use their power to police and censor both social media and cable news. They're saying it explicitly. https://t.co/cfMHavJP6K
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 22, 2021
While the menacing letter to cable operators may not have said so explicitly, the lawmakers appeared to be contrasting their supposed inaction with the sweeping restrictions social media companies such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube imposed on their users prior and following the election, including the ban on President Trump and pre-labeling any claims about election results or integrity as false.
SCOOP: Congressional Dems sent a letter to Comcast, Amazon, Google, ATT & others, demanding to know what they plan to do about the "the spread of dangerous misinformation" from Fox News, OAN and Newsmax – including whether they will continue to carry them https://t.co/wrWSPXjtAt
— Rachel C. Abrams (@RachelAbramsNY) February 22, 2021
Of course, House Democrats, especially the mental midget ones from California seem to forget that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, explicitly prohibits Congress from restricting freedom of religion, speech, and press.
Hilariously, the Democrat’s liberal-bias media cohorts such as the New York Times gave the letter sent by Rep’s Eshoo and McNerney their stamp of approval.
