What many leftists attempt to describe as a pivotal effort to crack down on misinformation in the news and on social media is lamented by countless conservatives as a thinly veiled ploy to censor certain points of view on important issues.
Now that a number of Republican lawmakers are beginning to take concrete action to halt that censorship, there is some evidence that programs ostensibly designed to tackle misinformation are finding it more difficult to carry out their research.
That clearly comes as welcome news to conservatives worried about having their opinions silenced or smeared. For the Washington Post, however, it represents a troubling trend.
The left-leaning news outlet recently published an article outlining the lawsuits and investigations at the federal and state level that are highlighting heavy-handed tactics by tech companies possibly working in tandem with the Biden administration.
While the Post described these developments as a detriment and included quotes from those who are complaining about the “buckling” misinformation research sector, plenty of social media users celebrated the news.
Let me ask you something. Have you ever seen a more glorious headline & opening paragraph in the Washington Post in your entire life? pic.twitter.com/0t6j9rzEfL
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) September 23, 2023
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld First Amendment rights in the case of Missouri v. Biden, in which litigants asserted that the Biden administration unduly restricted the speech of social media users who expressed dissenting views on issues including COVID-19 and election fraud.
In a statement applauding that ruling, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression asserted that all Americans should support the decision regardless of their ideological views.
“The principles it upholds will protect freedom of speech, regardless of whether coercive pressure comes from the left or the right,” the organization wrote.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) has also taken an active role in addressing the Biden administration’s apparent censorship under the guise of fighting misinformation.
The panel is currently leading a thorough probe into the issue that spokesperson Nadgey Louis-Charles said aims to “inform legislative solutions for how to protect free speech.”
Although the investigation is wide-ranging, she said that lawmakers only send letters “to entities with a connection to the federal government in the context of moderating speech online,” adding: “No entity receives a letter from the Committee without a written explanation of the entity’s connection to the federal government.”
