Media top headlines July 22
In media news today, Politico and CNN writers criticize Nancy Pelosi's rejection of GOP picks for riot committee, a former Google consultant give his opinion on how to combat misinformation, and WaPo's Josh Rogin says 'Fauci was wrong' about denying NIH funded Wuhan 'gain of function' COVID-19 research
A group of conservative leaders declared President Joe Biden’s administration is "ripping the U.S. Constitution to shreds" in a scathing open letter that demands the White House and federal government be fully transparent about all actions to restrict speech.
"Its assault on America’s freedom of speech is terrifying. It is the hallmark of dictatorships," the letter obtained by Fox News said.
The Biden administration said last week it was working with Facebook to flag what it considers misinformation related to coronavirus, raising significant free-speech concerns.
"We, the undersigned, demand Big Tech firms immediately and publicly announce that they will not comply with calls from the federal government to censor dissenting viewpoints. Not on COVID-19 and not on any other topic. Furthermore we call on those companies to resist further demands for such outrageous censorship of dissenting voices," the letter said.
"The Biden administration is guilty of violating the most basic fundamental principles of a free and open society. President Joe Biden shockingly claimed Facebook is ‘killing people’ because it doesn’t completely censor its site in ways the administration approves. Though he later backed off this claim a bit, multiple members of the administration are moving to quash free speech on social media following that autocratic rationale," the letter continued. "Those who comply and do not speak out are guilty of being complicit in a creepy and repugnant form of Orwellian ‘thoughtcrime.’ We are fast approaching the nightmarish reality of 1984 or worse."
Indeed, Biden walked back his comment and declared it was a handful of Facebook users who are "killing people" by spreading misinformation.
The conservative leaders led by Media Research Center president Brent Bozell demanded "the White House, the federal government and private entities be fully transparent about all government actions to restrict speech," while adding it’s also the responsibility of Congress to limit the federal government’s attempts to "bully or intimidate" private entities to control free speech.
"Our First Amendment was written to protect all speech, not just what the Biden administration deems safe and socially acceptable," the letter said.
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The letter ends by declaring the group will "do everything legally in our power to resist that egregious overreach" if the federal government does not immediately cease and desist from its actions to coerce private companies to quash free speech in the United States.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Young America’s Foundation president Gov. Scott Walker, Leadership Institute Morton Blackwell, Citizens United president David Bossie, AFAC director of government affairs Sandy Rios, Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. president Preston Noell III, presidential historian Craig Shirly, NSIC Institute founder Kevin D. Freeman, American Target Advertising president of corporate affairs Mark Fitzgibbons, Constitutional Congress, Inc. chairman J. Kenneth Blackwell, The Martin Organization founder Rod D. Martin and president Christina Murphy Lusk are among the conservative leaders to sign the letter.
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Conservative leaders such as Heartland Institute vice president Jim Lakely, LifeNews editor Steven Ertelt, Western Journal founder Floyd Brown, American Experience president John Hinderaker, Raven Strategies president Christie-Lee McNally, Eagle Forum chairman Anne Schlafly Cori, American Principles Project director Jon Schweppe, American Principles Project president Terry Schilling, ConservativeHQ managing editor George K. Rasley Jr., WND vice President David Kupelian, Rio Grande Foundation president Paul J. Gessing, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, International Organization for the Family president Brian S. Brown and Human Events publisher Will Chamerlain also signed the letter, in addition to many more prominent figures.
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