The Radio Television Digital News Association proves organizations can have a twisted sense of humor. Jen Psaki was the proud emcee of the RTDNA’s 33rd annual First Amendment Awards on March 9, 2024.
Wait, what?
Psaki, the queen of censorship, belongs at a First Amendment Awards Ceremony as much as a fox belongs in a chicken coop. Psaki not only defended government censorship but called to increase it in a 2021 press briefing when she told journalists that Facebook should censor accounts about anti-vaccine “misinformation,” claiming at the time that these posts made up more than 65% of all such anti-vaccine “misinformation” on social media platforms. She noted, “All of them remain active on Facebook, despite some even being banned on other platforms that Facebook owns.”
During that session, she called to increase censorship, claiming that “Facebook needs to move more quickly to remove harmful, violative posts” while observing that the posts remain in circulation for days. She admitted that the Biden administration was actively “flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.”
Other honorees were as laughable, including CBS News’s Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who was awarded for her “commitment to excellent and ethical journalism” even as she is facing scrutiny for firing Catherine Herridge for reporting on Biden’s scandals. According to her peers, Herridge was respected for her journalism and frequently received the latest information regarding the ongoing investigations into the Bidens’ crime schemes.
But Ciprian-Matthews had already faced scrutiny even before firing Herridge. In 2021, Ciprian-Matthews was investigated for discrimination in hiring, favoritism, and harmful management practices at CBS.
Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin (D) received honors as well. You might recall that rascal Raskin for his part in the coverup of Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 election, calling investigations into the coverup “silly” and trivial.
“The majority has called a hearing to revisit a two-year-old story about a private editorial decision by Twitter not to allow links to a single New York Post article made for a two-day period that had no discernible influence on anyone or anything,” Raskin said.
However, polls by MRC show that contrary to what Raskin claims, the coverup did influence voters. An astonishing 45% of Biden’s voters were unaware of the New York Post story revealing the Hunter Biden laptop. Had Americans been informed about the scandal, 9.4% of Biden voters in crucial swing states say they would not have cast a Biden vote. With Biden’s slim victory in many of these states, the decision to hide the story most likely altered the outcome of the 2020 election.
Americans are learning that censorship is becoming as common here at home as it is in Russia. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), initially responsible for protecting critical online systems from cyberattacks, now has a broader job. Unfortunately, part of this expanded role involves watching and controlling what people say on social media.
A report called “The Weaponization of CISA: How a ‘Cybersecurity’ Agency Colluded with Big Tech and ‘Disinformation’ Partners to Censor Americans” reveals how CISA, big tech companies, and government-funded groups worked together to limit what people can say online. This report shows that CISA helped censor content directly and even considered forming a team to counter “misinformation” quickly. Legal challenges made CISA move its censorship efforts to a non-profit group it funds, which suggests they knew their actions might be against the law.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) started investigating how big tech companies moderate content and censor people. This investigation has shown that government agencies and non-government groups funded by taxpayers have greatly influenced what can be said on social media. Also, a lawsuit called Missouri v. Biden has uncovered proof of a plan between the government and big tech to censor certain viewpoints. And finally, the House Committee on Homeland Security found evidence that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been helping big tech companies censor content, which could affect people’s ability to share their opinions online.
The First Amendment Awards was full of head-shaking honorees and hosted by one of the biggest censorship advocates to come out of the Biden administration. The ceremony is proof that censorship is not only alive and well in America but also encouraged by liberals.
But hey, we’ll circle back on that one.
