Continuing on a related subject, if the journalists of the “upper class media” (as Scott Alexander deemed them) are willing to be anything other than party operatives, why aren’t they complaining about the House Democrats’ moves towards censorship as Glenn Greenwald is?
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. On Saturday, I detailed how their escalating official campaign to coerce and threaten social media companies into more aggressively censoring views that they dislike — including by summoning social media CEOs to appear before them for the third time in less than five months — is implicating, if not already violating, core First Amendment rights of free speech.
Now they are going further — much further. The same Democratic House Committee that is demanding greater online censorship from social media companies now has its sights set on the removal of conservative cable outlets, including Fox News, from the airwaves.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Monday announced a February 24 hearing, convened by one of its sub-committees, entitled “Fanning the Flames: Disinformation and Extremism in the Media.†Claiming that “the spread of disinformation and extremism by traditional news media presents a tangible and destabilizing threat,†the Committee argues: “Some broadcasters’ and cable networks’ increasing reliance on conspiracy theories and misleading or patently false information raises questions about their devotion to journalistic integrity.â€
No, private companies aren’t subject to the same restrictions as the government (“Congress shall make no law…”) but when they do so because they’re impelled to do so by Congressional bullying it is a violation of the Constitution.
I think we’ve reached a pretty terrible situation when freedom of the press is merely instrumental to promoting specific views.
Complaining about media is censorship? After non stop complaints about media from the right?
Do you disagree with this?
“Some broadcasters’ and cable networks’ increasing reliance on conspiracy theories and misleading or patently false information raises questions about their devotion to journalistic integrity.â€
Steve
No. Trying to shut them down or “deplatform them” is censorship when it’s done in response to a Congressional demand.
Let’s put it this way, Google, Facebook, want something from the Democratic Congress. The Democratic congress wants something from them.
Should make for a beautiful marriage.
” Trying to shut them down or “deplatform them†is censorship when it’s done in response to a Congressional demand.”
I agree, but neither you nor Greenwald present evidence of that. Somehow it is beyond the pale to have hearings on the effects of news channels promoting conspiracies like lesbians with pink pistols are patrolling our subways, kidnapping kids and forcing them to become gay. Or for TV hosts to claim that Bill Gates controls what goes in our bodies because he donated to vaccine innovation, supporting the theory that there are microchips in the vaccines, which about 40% of Republicans believe.
Steve
The activity you’re describing is explicitly outside Congress’s authority. It’s the role of the courts if anyone’s.
Really? Where does it say that the Congress cannot investigate something or hold hearings?
Steve
The Constitution. The Bill of Rights. House and Senate rules. Multiple court precedents.
The authority of the Congress is limited to its enumerated powers subject to court interpretation. It’s not “whatever it wants to do”.