I & I Editorial BoardWhen some of our readers tried to share Thursday’s editorial on Facebook, their posts were deleted. This isn’t the first time Big Tech has suppressed our speech and tried to rob us of revenue. In fact, it seems rather routine.
The editorial that Facebook doesn’t like was written under the headline “When Will The Ministry Of Truth Shut Down The Lyin’ Biden Ads?. When one reader (see the editorial’s comments section) tried to share it on Facebook, she “was advised they deleted my post for violating community standards.”
“It’s pretty rich,” she said, “for Facebook to claim an article pointing out how Biden’s ads are misleading is in itself misleading.”
Another whose comments appear under the editorial said he “shared this article” but Facebook deleted it.
We had the same experience. We couldn’t post it on our own I&I Facebook page. So, in effect, those who either regularly read our content on Facebook or who might want to were forbidden to do so.
And it’s not the first time. Google routinely blocks its AdSense ads from appearing on our website. Earlier this year we learned that the company was blocking its ads from appearing on an editorial we published almost exactly three years earlier that was highlighting Trump’s wins as president.
But, as is always the case, the reasons given are gauzy, generic evasions, such as “violating community standards.” But which “community”? And which “standards”?
How about the standard of truth?
I&I showed factually in Thursday’s editorial that Biden’s ads were, in fact, “misinformation.” That is, filled with actual lies and distortions of the truth. Typical in American political campaigns, unfortunately, but especially true today when leftist politicians know they can make false claims and like-minded social media censors will do nothing.
In the case of Facebook, it always denies it “censors” anything. Rather, it merely squelches “misinformation.”
However, as we’ve pointed out before, social media outlets in the past have allowed demonstrable falsehoods, such as the lie that Hunter Biden’s laptop filled with incriminating information was really a Russian disinformation ploy, to spread far and wide.
Meanwhile, truthful claims that Hunter’s laptop and its damning contents were authentic were silenced.
These high-minded claims of protecting against “misinformation” amount to little more than election interference. It’s no accident Facebook’s most rigorous attempts at controlling “misinformation” ever were rolled out in October 2019, a year ahead of the 2020 elections.
“This is BigTech control of news and speech, nationwide, in real time — all in an attempt to control an election,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted at the time.
Facebook further proved its urge to censor conservatives on Jan. 8, 2021, when it banned Trump, a sitting president, “for life,” “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” even after he told supporters to “go home” and promised to support a “peaceful transition” to the Biden presidency.
Well, it looks like it’s happening again. To us, and to others.
With just five months to go, will the social media giants — Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Google, and others — once again stifle Americans’ right to hear all sides of the issues, and not just those on the left?
Having our own truthful posts hidden, deleted, and demonetized by social media violates our right to free speech. But more importantly, they’re violations of your rights as citizens and voters to hear all sides of the political debate.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
Of course they will. The saving grace is twofold. Once the campaign actually starts our side will have the opportunity to buy ads, which will help get the word out. The other is sites like this that can bypass much of the MSM. That alternative didn’t exist years ago. It helps.
The only way people can judge what is the truth is by letting free speech shine through. Unfortunately, FB, Utube, Google, et al have volunteered to become the dark clouds.
I say “unfortunately”, because not only is I&I losing an audience but also the censors of the technological age (or as I&I refers to the Google censors: The “brats”-and spoiled brats at that, in my opinion-of the internet age) are becoming-and have become emboldened. The longer they succeed at censorship, the harder it will be to checkmate them.
Also, someone else loses: We do. We can’t hear all sides of an issue because sides other than what the censors favor are always blocked and sanctimoniously checkmated!
The only way to censor the censors is to-I believe- Twitterize them all, as the market for free speech commands-and Elon Musk has valiantly done!
I’ve been kicked off FB, don’t care.
Facebook is a festering cesspool of Godless morality and vacant skulls.
Why are you even on Fake Book? 🤔
Now it appears that someone (?FB) has inserted half-dressed or undressed women in the middle of your report of FB’s blatant censorship and election interference.
Perhaps this has been done to prevent Christians from sharing your legitimate report. If so, shame on Facebook!
The slimy, lying, cheating, crooked DemocRATs will cheat again just like they did in the 2020 election. It is the only way they can win.
Approximately 155 million people voted in the 2020 election. Imagine flipping a coin 155 million times and it comes up heads 50% of the time. Now imagine flipping a coin 155 million times and it comes up heads 99% of the time. That is DemocRATS.
Everyone with an IQ above their shoe size knows that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
Nasty Pelosi knows the election was rigged.
Chuck U. Schumer knows the election was rigged.
Shithead Schiff knows the election was rigged.
The cheating, crooked DemocRATs know the election was rigged.
Senile, little girl fondling Joe Biden knows the election was rigged. That is why he just stayed in his basement.
The true American people know the election was rigged.
The fake news lame stream left-wing lying media knows the election was rigged.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS KNOW THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED.
TRUMP KNOWS THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED.
TRUMP WON!!
Facebook is actively censoring most pro-conservative content now under the guise of “you posted only to get likes and shares”, well duh, that’s what the site is about.
The commie “fact-checkers” are totally Dem supporters.
Thank you for continuing your work despite the efforts from the powerful owners of internet hardware and algorithms.