Speech, media and academic freedoms in America are threatened—especially digital democracy, the last frontier of open and free expression.
Google, Facebook and Twitter are halting what they call “fake news,” a pretext for online censorship.
Powerful interests in America and other Western societies threaten alternative sources of news, information and opinion.
Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Google and You Tube are building an Internet censorship database on the phony pretext of eliminating “extremist content.”
Reporting and opinions diverging from mainstream views risk being labeled fake news or unacceptable extremism—a slippery slope toward undermining First Amendment rights altogether.
After grilling by congressional lawmakers on phony claims of Russian interference in last year’s presidential election, Twitter changed its rules.
No longer does the social network support “speaking truth to power,” the phrase stricken from its rules, a significant change. Under its Abusive Behavior section, they now state, “We believe in freedom of expression and open dialogue,” but that means little as an underlying philosophy if voices are silenced because people are afraid to speak up.
Speaking truth to power was changed to open dialogue—meaningless if alternative views are censored, a slippery slope toward banning them altogether.
RT and Sputnik News are under attack for truth-telling, possibly facing banishment ahead the way things are going.
Will online independent news, information and opinion sources be next? Changed Twitter rules may be the latest shot across the bow, lots more likely coming.
Fundamental freedoms in America have been under assault for years, notably post-9/11, police state laws replacing Bill of Rights protections.
When people are prevented from expressing views freely and openly on any issues, all other freedoms are at risk of being lost.
Things are heading ominously in this direction in America and other Western societies.
Tyranny is increasingly gaining the upper hand. Criticizing government policies may risk being labeled an enemy of the state ahead.
Is constitutional suspension and martial law another major state-sponsored false flag way?
Will most Americans accept it, believing sacrificing freedoms for greater security is worth it—not realizing they’ll lose both!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
” …phony claims of Russian interference in last year’s presidential election, …”
REALLY?
I consider that phrase of “phony claims of Russian interference,” to be just as “fake” as the rest of the “fake news” and really, I consider it to be just as much an undermining of Democracy as fake news and Russian interference are.
And Yes, censorship in any form is an undermining of the freedom of speech promised in a democratic form of government.
But censorship, maybe not as blatant as it is promising to become now, has been there in many ways for many years … including the time when Nixon forbade the airing of the Vietnam anti-war protests.
All of those claims actually were phony, and deliberately so. It’s easy not to realize that when so much of the MSM endlessly repeats the story as established truth. Just like the story that only al Qaeda was the cause of 9/11, only Lee Harvey Oswald murdered JFK, it was really the Libya govt. that blew up Lockerbie, it was really McVeigh and Nichols that did OKC, etc. One researchs these stories and quickly discovers they are all complete bullshit, intentionally so. How can that be hidden from the MSM? The MSM at its top has always been CIA/Deep State controlled. They are simply not inclined and not allowed to publish much on Deep State crime. They are an essential part of Deep State crime.