Do you think they will stop with Joe Rogan?
Last year, old rocker Neil Young led a campaign against “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Young hopes to quell the host’s alternative views on COVID-19.
The effort quickly went viral, with Rogan’s detractors piling up with any cultural puzzle at hand.
Rogan’s pandemic-related interviews are just an excuse to silence someone who opened his podcast studio to the voices of the Left, Center, and Right.
Rogan survived the prolonged Cancel Culture attack. Just enough.
Now, The New York Times and the Brookings Institution have teamed up to expand that moderation effort. Their goal? conservative broadcasters like Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
The libertarian Brookings Institution has released a new report accusing the biggest purveyors of so-called “misinformation” in podcast form. Fortunately, the vast majority of offenders come from the right side of the ideological aisle.
The Articles based on reports focuses on “Steve Bannon’s War Room,” hosted by former Breitbart News head and former Trump adviser. The article, to its credit, gives numerous examples of guests sharing fake news tidbits through the “War Room” podium. According to Brookings, Bannon did not question those views.
The report, however, belittles other mainstream conservative programs for spreading “misinformation” at an alarming rate. The list includes “The Charlie Kirk Show,” “The Clay & Buck Show” (along with its predecessor, “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” “Louder with Crowder,” “The Mark Levin Show” and “DarkHorse.” Podcasts” by Bret Weinstein.
The New York Times caters to this.
Conservatives are 11 times more likely to share a statement fact-checkers can refute than libertarians.
That’s an immediate red flag, of course. It’s also a story, the first of many.
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“The Clay & Buck Show” reached out to both The New York Times and Brookings to invite someone from either group to appear on the air with them. The purported interview will allow the show’s critics to share details of how the hosts spread “misinformation”. In turn, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton can fight the charges.
It’s called a free and fair debate, and “The Clay & Buck Show” deserves a chance to learn more about the study and potentially refute its findings.
Both sides refused. It was not an accident.
Therefore @BrookingsInst Labeling @clayandbuck the third largest disinformation tool on radio. That “report” was later published on the front page of the newspaper @New York Times The business section has no explanatory data. We emailed and invited the lead author — or any other representative from Brookings — to… https://t.co/5Rs64uok5v
– Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 14, 2023
It was part of a new, dangerous wave of censorship that pervaded the culture. Big Tech regularly bans or punishes people who share “wrong” views but don’t have the courage or ability to explain why.
Ask Mike Baron, author of the graphic novel “The Private American” banned by two crowdfunding sites without any particular reason. Or comedians find them muffled jokes with no explanation.
This is not new, but it is scary.
A biased podcast study, spread around the globe by the most influential newspaper in America, is bad enough. That’s not where this ends.
The New York Times reached out to Apple and Google, two of the world’s most formidable tech giants, for feedback on the story. The purpose is not so secret? To embarrass them by banning or burying mentioned podcasts through their search algorithm.
Conspiracy?
Remember how? Amazon, Google and Apple teamed up in 2021 to ban Parler, an emerging Twitter alternative, after the January 6 riots at the Capitol? The parties claim the platform allowed fans of Trump’s violence to coordinate their alleged assault on the DC building.
Does it matter that Twitter lets violent groups like Antifa spread their hate across the platform with impunity?
Are not. Parler appeals to right-wing consumers, like the aforementioned podcasts, and Big Tech wants to crush it rather than let their arguments infect the culture.
After the January 6 uprising, Apple AAPL and Google GOOG banned Parler from their apple stores, cutting off any future growth. https://t.co/7TaBUc2qMy #business newsletter #businessmen #BuildtoExit #starting a business
– Build to Exit (@BuildToExit) January 19, 2021
Similar plans are underway here. Why is the Times asking those tech giants to comment? It’s a brand of mild but overt bullying.
Why don’t you ban this misinformation?
Even brighter? Why don’t Brookings or The Times defend their hard work on a general radio show, so fans of the show can learn more about so-called “misinformation?” Why pass up that golden opportunity if you are confident in your truth?
The push to ban “misinformation” is both transparent and dishonest. For starters, none of the agencies trying to combat Fake News have pointed out the “View”.
It’s one of the most interesting cartoon scam in a media context, shared on a major television network. This is just one of many examples.
The View claims Mahomes and Hurts have triumphed over racism against black QBs.
We explain how there is no racism in the NFL to conquer.
“The four highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history are all black — one in 30 women accused of sexual misconduct. “https://t.co/1aHn8i8JHY
– OutKick (@Outkick) February 14, 2023
The show’s tragedy of flaws ranges from silly culture war clashes to serious topics like pandemics. However, The New York Times does not criticize the strongly liberal program for spreading “misinformation”.
That is another story.
The newspaper also did not reflect on its misrepresentation of the Russian collusion hoax. Instead, August shop double down on false statements.
This is not about “misinformation”. It’s about defending fancy libertarian stories and punishing parties that oppose them with truth and logic.
In terms of pop culture, “Private American” sheds light on how drug cartels and rapists rampage along the porous US/Mexico border. So be silent.
“The Clay & Buck Show” soon questioned government decrees related to the pandemic, from the effectiveness of vaccines to questionable mask regulations.
The servers were right on many fronts. They must also be silent.
This is the Left trying to silence the Right… or anyone willing to question the official accounts. That includes leftist characters like Roganjournalist Matt Taibbi, comedian Brand russell and more.
Rogan emerged victorious, in part because Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wouldn’t bow to the Cancel Culture crowd. Podcasters were in luck. Not every CEO has the backbone and stomach to resist the censorship mob of the Left.
Sooner or later, the Left’s quest to quell dissenting voices will bear fruit.
