by Cortney O'Brien
'Interesting way of admitting' Big Tech interference in elections, says Mollie Hemingway
NPR recently shocked social media users with a tweet that appeared to admit Big Tech has the ability to influence elections.
"Whether or not Facebook decides to reinstate former President Trump’s account in the coming months will likely have major consequences for Trump's political power and possible future campaign," NPR wrote on Twitter.
"Being on Facebook is crucial for modern-day political campaigns," NPR explains in the accompanying story. A Big Tech blackout would mean a drop in fundraising and "a significant revenue valve would be shut off for Trump, imperiling a 2024 presidential bid, if he decides to run again." This could also trickle down to negatively affect the midterm candidates he plans to endorse, they write.
Mollie Hemingway,
a senior editor at The Federalist and a Fox News contributor, was among
the first to notice that NPR said the quiet part out loud.
Interesting way of admitting how much election interference and election meddling against Republicans that our tech companies can do and have done! https://t.co/EzQMD3lWO2
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) May 6, 2021
"Admitting election interference," other users observed.
HAWLEY WARNS BIG TECH COMPANIES WORKING TO 'TRANSFORM' AMERICA IN NEW BOOK
Admitting election interference. It’s not like nobody knows
— Tiffany (@tiffanylloree) May 8, 2021
Cc: @DonaldJTrumpJr https://t.co/SDYa7ZIiEt
Some would even call it what it is… election interference. https://t.co/oviE8wzHtC
— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) May 7, 2021
Last week, the Facebook Oversight Board announced that they were upholding the company's indefinite ban on former President Trump's account, but said that Facebook had six months to review the decision. The board also called the ban "arbitrary" and argued that the company "violated its own rules." Their ruling comes after Twitter booted the former president off their platform in January, recently doubling down and declaring that they won't invite Trump back even if he decides to throw his hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential election.
"What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country," Trump said in a statement reacting to the news. "Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before."
Trump also posted the statement on his new communcations platform, "From the desk of Donald J. Trump." But Twitter is cracking down on that as well, taking action against accounts that post content from Trump's new platform as part of their "ban evasion policy."
In the wake of Facebook's decision to keep Trump off their platform, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., renewed calls for antitrust action against the company and other Big Tech platforms. He's also introduced his Bust Up Big Tech Act to reel in the reach of Google and Amazon, effectively banning them from marketing their own retail goods alongside other sellers.
"It's past time to bust up Big Tech companies, restore competition, and give power back the American consumers," Hawley said of the bill.
Cortney O'Brien is Editor, Flash at Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @obrienc2.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/media/npr-ripped-for-openly-admitting-big-tech-interference-in-elections
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