Academics, Journalists And Entertainment Professionals Warn Joe Biden That Free Speech Is Being Erased
Joe Biden and his administration have made opposing free speech a key tenant of their decision-making since taking office.
So much so that judges have specifically condemned and prohibited efforts to police free speech by Biden administration officials. Numerous stories, including the Twitter files have revealed how extensive coordination was between political insiders and social media companies. Specifically around the Biden team's desperate attempts to enforce their preferred COVID narratives.
It's fitting, then, that a group of individuals, from across ideological, professional and international lines, sent a letter to the Biden administration expressing their concern about the rapid erosion of free speech.
The "Westminster Declaration," released Wednesday, brought together 136 people, who wrote that “Open discourse is the central pillar of a free society, and is essential for holding governments accountable, empowering vulnerable groups, and reducing the risk of tyranny … We do not want our children to grow up in a world where they live in fear of speaking their minds.”
Notable signers include: Jordan Peterson, Richard Dawkins, Julian Assange, actor Tim Robbins, director Oliver Stone, John Cleese, health experts Jay Bhattacharya, Martin Kuldorff, journalist Adam Creighton, Edward Snowden and Bret Weinstein. The letter explains how they're “deeply concerned" about attempts to weaponize the words ‘misinformation,’ and ‘disinformation.' Such efforts have ensured that journalists, ordinary citizens and others have been censored. Especially during the pandemic.
President Joe Biden speaks at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Biden is arguing that Donald Trump's supporters pose a threat to US democracy and the country's elections during an address billed as the "battle for the soul of the nation." Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Biden And His Allies Have Increasingly Opposed Free Speech
“Across the globe, government actors, social media companies, universities and NGOs are increasingly working to monitor citizens and rob them of their voices,” the letter reads.
There may be no better example of that than the Biden administration, with officials like Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci inaccurately using their platforms to label others as conspiracy theorists.
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The targeting of ordinary citizens comes as mainstream media outlets frequently engage in misinformation or disinformation with little consequence. Just this week, the New York Times and other sources uncritically spread disinformation from Hamas about an explosion near a hospital in Gaza. Instead of apologizing for its dangerous mistake, which led to mass protests against Israeli and U.S. targets in other countries, the Times stealthily edited its stories or headlines as new information disproved its original thesis.
There are countless other examples of media disinformation, from the Hunter Biden laptop story to Russian collusion. Seems unlikely anyone in the Biden administration will be calling for the Times to be censored, doesn't it?
With such a diverse range of signatories, perhaps this letter will be enough to put some pressure on the authoritarian impulses of Biden and his ideological allies. But based on their actions thus far, it's hard to be too optimistic.