It’s interesting how parties evolve.
Many years ago, Democrats stood against censorship.
And if I may say so, they actively opposed it more than did Republicans.
Now? It’s a might different.
So believes Brendon Carr, one of a quartet of commissioners for the Federal Communications Commission.
On Monday, Brendon braised Democratic representatives for an attack against right-leaning TV channels following fallout from the 2020 election.
As recently covered by RedState’s Brandon Morse — Democratic California Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney sent a letter at the beginning of the week to a boatload of companies calling into question their “ethical principles” in carrying certain networks.
Per The Hill, the letter included the following:
Some purported news outlets have long been misinformation rumor mills and conspiracy theory hotbeds that produce content that leads to real harm.
Misinformation on TV has led to our current polluted information environment that radicalizes individuals to commit seditious acts and rejects public health best practices, among other issues in our public discourse.
As relayed by The New York Times, it talked of muting misinformation:
To our knowledge, the cable, satellite and over-the-top companies that disseminate these media outlets to American viewers have done nothing in response to the misinformation aired by these outlets,
The misinforming outlets mentioned: Newsmax, One America Network, and Fox.
“Are you planning to continue carrying Fox News, OANN and Newsmax on your platform both now and beyond the renewal date?” it asks. “If so, why?”
Among recipients of the letter, according to The Daily Wire: Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Spectrum, AT&T, Dish, Verizon, Cox, Altice, Roku, Hulu, and Google.
On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will be conducting a hearing dubbed “Fanning the Flames: Disinformation and Extremism in the Media.”
Anna and Jerry are senior members of the committee.
Back to Brendon, he called the missive “chilling.”
Here’s more of Brendon’s statement, courtesy of the Wire:
Today, two senior Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee selectively targeted a handful of news media outlets for their coverage of political events. By writing letters to the cable providers and other regulated entities that carry these news media outlets, the Democrats are sending a message that is as clear as it is troubling-these regulated entities will pay a price if the targeted newsrooms do not conform to Democrats’ preferred political narratives. This is a chilling transgression of the free speech rights that every media outlet in this country enjoys.
Less speech is less good:
Debate on matters of public interest should be robust, uninhibited, and wide open. More speech is better than less. Yet the concerted effort by Democrats to drive political dissent from the public square represents a marked departure from these First Amendment norms. A newsroom’s decision about what stories to cover and how to frame them should be beyond the reach of any government official, not targeted by them.
Brendon blasted Blue Anna and Jerry:
To the House Democrats that used their official letterhead to launch this inquiry, I would say this: Your demand to know the “moral principles” that guide a private entity‘s decision about what news to carry cannot be reconciled with bedrock principles of free speech and journalistic freedom. I call on my FCC colleagues to join me in publicly denouncing this attempt to stifle political speech and independent news judgment.
Government used to be a limited idea.
Free speech was unlimited.
These days, we’re giving the old switcheroo a shot.
-ALEX
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