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Who knew that the free press was so anti-free speech? I mean, I guess we all did to some extent, but it’s still pretty nuts to see their reactions to Elon Musk simply allowing people to express themselves free of partisan censorship. That those reactions are now being used to push possible government intervention is downright scary, though.
That dynamic played out during Monday’s White House press briefing, with Reuters reporter Andrea Shalal showing a shocking thirst for fascism as she set up a softball for Karine Jean-Pierre. I’m not sure what’s worse here, the question or the answer.
KJP makes veiled threat to @ElonMusk: “This is something that we’re…keeping an eye on…It is their responsibility to make sure when it comes to misinformation, when it comes to the hate…they take action….[W]e’re all keeping a close eye on this. We’re all monitoring” him. pic.twitter.com/uji3FGhGXs
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 28, 2022
According to her, the basis of Shalal’s question comes from a claim some “researcher” from Stanford made. Is that supposed to be evidence of something? Is the suggestion really that free speech should be quashed by government force because an academic is concerned about “misinformation?” Of course, that’s the suggestion, and obviously, my question is rhetorical at this point.
Shalal then continues by pressing Jean-Pierre on what “tools” the White House has to somehow bring Musk and his social media site to heel. To put it succinctly, that is incredibly disturbing stuff. Here, we have a supposedly unbiased reporter, who would no doubt claim she supports basic freedoms, trying to goad the White House into punishing a private company for the nebulous charge of “misinformation.”
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But as I insinuated, Jean-Pierre’s answer to the question may be even worse. Where did this idea come from that a private company has a “responsibility” to police “misinformation?” Heck, who gets to decide what “misinformation” even is? Twitter, if it wanted to, could legally allow whatever it wants on the site outside of defamatory declarations and incitement to violence. In fact, that autonomy was a primary talking point of the left while Twitter’s old regime was censoring conservative viewpoints.
Jean-Pierre then goes further saying that “we’re all keeping a close eye on this,” as if the White House has any role in trying to parse free speech and enforce rules on “misinformation.” Few things are more anti-American than the federal government playing big brother with power doesn’t even actually possess.
With that said, I think this is a battle that needs to happen. The illiberal, fascistic tendencies of the left need to be laid bare for all of the public to see. If that takes an obvious overreach, then so be it because the current path is unsustainable. The White House needs to be taken down a notch, and the most likely way that happens is for a lawsuit to make its way to the US Supreme Court.
I’ll end with this thought, though. The mainstream press has completely lost its mind. They’ve always been biased, but for a Reuters reporter to ask that question, trying to get the government to restrict free speech is beyond the pale. For all the hand-wringing over the description, they are operating as enemies of the people.
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