
<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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 &#8230; a lie. ; (Democrats seem to have made it a habit of creating Russian hoaxes. I count three so far.)</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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 &#8230; ready? &#8230; they were TOO POLITICALLY BIASED. The fact-checkers were too left-wing.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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 &#8212; not necessarily physical bodily violence. ; That is battery.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.) ;</p>



<p>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 &#8230; truth, justice and the American way.</p>



<p>(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 &#8212; 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.)</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Zuckerberg re-discovers free speech
