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Zuckerberg re-discovers free speech

Zuckerberg re-discovers free speech

Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has re-discovered free speech.  I say “re-discovered” because in its earliest days, Facebook was an uncensored platform for free expression.

Zuckerberg initially resisted calls for him to censor content.  He argued that Facebook of merely a platform for communication – and not responsible or libel for the stated opinions of users.  Even then, however, there was minimal censorship on Facebook of the most outrageous and dangerous language.

Over time, woke and left-wing political forces increased pressure to censor speech THEY did not consider politically correct or in line with their partisan philosophy.  Facebook was not alone.  Other media platforms developed algorithms and hired so-called fact checkers to manage censorship – from a left-wing bias.

The result was a general censorship of the more conservative content.  Perhaps the most notable example was Facebook’s blocking of the New York Post’s cover story on the infamous Hunter Biden laptop.  While the Post reported that the laptop was the property of Biden-the-younger and the content legitimate, the White House and FBI were falsely claiming it was a Russian hoax.  It was a deliberate falsehood … a lie.  (Democrats seem to have made it a habit of creating Russian hoaxes. I count three so far.)

The censorship of the Hunter laptop worked.  A story that arguably could have affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was censored in favor of a clearly false story invented by President Biden’s White House – and carried obediently by the left-wing media.

Censoring a major story by a legitimate major news organization is huge.  This is the kind of thing you find in totalitarian nations.  But it was only one significant example of what Facebook and other platforms were doing routinely.

In a form of public apologia, Zuckerberg later admitted he had succumbed to pressure from White House officials – and that he was wrong in not resisting the pressure.

Recently, Zuckerberg made an astounding announcement.  He was doing away with the in-house fact-checkers and biased algorithms.  His reason was a blockbuster.  He was shutting done the censorship operation because … ready? … they were TOO POLITICALLY BIASED.  The fact-checkers were too left-wing.

Facebook will transition to a community response system currently employed successfully at Elon Musk’s X.  I could result in some form of labeling, but not banning.

I have written in the past that social media platforms should NOT be in the  business of censoring content.  Inappropriate and illegal language is effectively handled by current laws against slander, libel, defamation. etc.  Criminal “assault” is engendering fear by word or action – verbal threats — not necessarily physical bodily violence.  That is battery.

The point is, there are enough laws to handle abuse of free speech – words and statements that are already limited by law.  They are as applicable to what a person says on social media as in any other context.

Conversely, speech that can be considered offensive, insulting or crude is not illegal or unconstitutional – and should not be.  As Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote in 1909, I may disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.  (Okay, maybe not to the death in my case.) 

The social culture tends to censor offensive or inappropriate language – although individually we may not agree on what that means specifically.  (As a person who writes on controversial topics, I get childish insults, false accusations and baseless ad hominin attacks.  But a am proud that the management of PunchingBagPost is committed to … truth, justice and the American way.

(If that last phrase sounds familiar, you may recall it as the longtime Superman motto.  What you may not know is the DC Comics – in a fit of woke insanity — changed it in 2021 to “truth, justice and a better tomorrow” – coincidentally timed to the incoming Biden administration.  I guess the politically correct woke way and the American way are incompatible.  I will stick with the American way.  But I digress.)

Facebook appears to be part of a larger phenomenon that is loosening the left-wing’s grip on American news media and social platforms (if not at DC Comics).  Washington Post owner, Jeff Bezos, is said to have killed the planned editorial endorsement of Kamala Harris for President.  More recently, the Post ended the role of Monica Hesse as its designated “gender reporter.”  Major blogger and influencer Joe Rogan openly stated his reasons for shifting from the left to the right.  Following the election, CNN and MSNBC had a precipitous drop in ratings, while FOX News increased their substantial lead over its left-wing competitors.

As a First Amendment extremist, I am delighted to see Zuckerberg returning to the spirit of the Constitution.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

1 Comment

  1. FRANK DANGER

    Yup, the left went too far, again, and we be swinging to the right. Remember, Horist, you are always right, so do your worst. Extreme free speech, sure. Adequate laws, bullshit. Sure we got our libel, slander, defamation, etc, but is what is happening in our social media, publishing, and airwaves OK with you? What do you want to do with the liars out there, especially the big time media pundits who push misinformation, disinformation, and lies to an audience with a sizeable portion that believes them even after being thoroughly debunked? What about our children’s access to this crap from any library, pc, smartphone, etc?

    We have seat belts, anti-lock brakes, why not some safety conditions on public speech?

    I honestly don’t have an answer; smart guys like Zuckerberg and Mush can’t figure it out. Not that they want to, it’s easier and more profitable to them and for them not to. But tell me, do you really like the result of your “extreme free speech?” Do you like your tower of babble?

    Reminds me of that Big Bang episode when the fraudulent scientist’s rebuttal to a scientific fact is: “well, that’s your opinion.” Truth matters and your extreme free speech negates the matter part. You somehow believe that in your tower of extreme free speech that truth will somehow burble up to the top, rising like cream on milk. Sorry, Charlie, it does not necessarily work like that.

    At minimum, we need protections for our kids from this shit. What do you suggest?

    Also, if I tee off on a subject that’s really close, really personal to you: what’s the recourse for that? I mean you have issues in you life that I already know will flip you over the edge, and rightfully so. Is that fair game in extreme free speech? Ad hominem to relatives, past and present OK?

    How about doxing? I have your, Joe’s, and Ernest’s info. Real names, addresses, even floor plans. NO, I did not search it out, it just fell out while searching other topics. But I do have it, have not published it because I think that’s a line too far, but in extreme free speech, there is no line, so is that OK with you too? Don’t want to do anything about doxing? I mean until the loons knock at your door with a special package for you, is there anything wrong with that to protect against? What do you suggest for that?

    And where does Russian, Chinese, etc. efforts to use extreme free speech to get us to believe what they want us to believe because they hate us? What does your extreme free speech do with that?

    Again, I do not have the answer, believe it or not, on this one, but extreme free speech seems as bad as woke censorship. Isn’t there something to be done to make publishing safer, more honest, and free from lies, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and our known enemies?

    There is risk/reward in almost everything we do. In extreme free speech, we reward liars, bring down the purveyors of truth, and allow unfair advantage to those who look to control us. Censorship didn’t fix it; guys like Mush and Zuckerberg can’t figure out how to do that right. The laws are inadequate to the task. You got guys like Alex Jones spreading lies like manure in the Spring sowing seeds of lies, hate, and even when you catch him, punish him, he just keeps going, telling more lies, and making more money. Now he’s in bankruptcy, so we are bailing him out, as he continues to make more money. How about Rudy, lying through his teeth and defaming many along the way, and now when it’s time to pay, he just says “no.” So where’s the teeth in your laws to protect free speech from filth like this?

    And one last thing: where does extreme free speech come out on pornography, and worse? Is that one of your laws or is that just another form of censorship, a form you personally agree with so it’s OK? Because if that’s your line, my final point is I think you, and we, can do better, for us, but especially for our children.

    Again, I have no answers, but a lot of questions about extreme free speech and lies, misinformation, and disinformation. Especially for our young.

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  1. Yup, the left went too far, again, and we be swinging to the right. Remember, Horist, you are always right,…