Media top headlines July 20
In media news today, reporters hit President Biden for walking back sharp criticism of Facebook, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell made eyebrow-raising remarks about crime in Washington, D.C., and the Washington Post lightheartedly mocked Hunter Biden's art.
Social media platform Parler scolded President Biden of "overstepping the boundaries set forth by the First Amendment" with flip-flopping rhetoric about Facebook disinformation that "should concern Americans."
Biden initially raised eyebrows by saying Facebook is "killing people," but when asked to clarify those controversial comments on Monday, he narrowed down his targets to a dozen spreaders of what the government has deemed harmful misinformation about the coronavirus and the vaccines against it.
"Facebook pointed out that most of the disinformation came from 12 individuals," Biden said. "I was asked, what is happening … "Facebook isn’t killing people. These 12 people are killing people. My hope is that they would do something about misinformation — outrageous misinformation about vaccines."
Social media platform Parler scolded President Biden of "overstepping the boundaries set forth by the First Amendment." (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Parler accused Biden of softening his criticism "in an apparent effort to maintain a working relationship with big tech" but isn’t happy with his latest comments, either.
"While he now places primary blame for any deaths caused on the users posting the content, he is still ‘asking’ social media platforms to pick and choose which topics users can talk about—according to his Administration’s recommendations," Parler wrote as part of a scathing statement.
"The President’s latest remarks should concern Americans for two reasons. First, he still maintains that any content not in alignment with the Administration’s recommendations is to be deemed ‘misinformation’ and shouldn’t be posted online," Parler continued. "As non-defamatory ‘misinformation’ is still protected by the First Amendment, it is concerning that the government is openly goading tech giants into censoring what it should not."
Parler added that Biden implied that Americans are unable to think critically and make decisions to determine their best interest without assistance from authorities.
"No one is omniscient. The science is never settled. What is deemed misinformation today could easily be rehabilitated tomorrow in light of further information," Parler wrote, citing the possible existence of UFOs along with the benefits of drugs like Remdesivir and Ivermectin as topics that were once considered frowned-upon conspiracies.
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"The idea that people shouldn’t be able to express concerns or talk about what’s most important to them is not only concerning, but also hypocritical," Parler said. "President Biden’s remarks contradict his stated intention to help Cubans regain internet access after their government—in an effort to control what residents could say or write, read, or hear—restricted their access to social media and messaging platforms. Any difference between what Biden is urging at home, and what he says he wishes to save Cubans from, is a difference of degree, not of kind."
Parler chief policy officer Amy Peikoff doesn’t think Americans should allow anyone to make important decisions for them.
"Individuals should not be outsourcing their critical thinking to anyone—whether another individual, a company…or a government official," Peikoff said. "How has the West come to distrust the individual in such a fundamental way? An appeal to authority is, as basic logic tells us, a fallacy. It is not the road to salvation, no matter how well intentioned."
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Fox News’ Cortney O’Brien contributed to this report.
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