CNN Analyst Gives Solution to End Big Tech Censorship of Republicans

June 6th, 2023 1:41 PM

A CNN Senior Political Analyst claimed to have the solution to end Big Tech’s censorship of conservatives.

CNN analyst and USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers claimed to support free speech with the caveat that Big Tech has a “responsibility” to censor Republicans who push so-called election misinformation. Powers and fellow CNN analyst Sara Fischer were discussing YouTube’s recent decision to reverse its policy banning alleged election misinformation when Powers claimed Republicans should just stop talking if they don’t want to be censored on social media.

“If there is some sort of huge riot, then the first platform that’s going to move, which is YouTube, is the one that we’re going to look at and say, ‘What did we do here?’” Fischer asked.

Powers responded by saying YouTube should actively suppress information that is “demonstrably false,” though she did not clarify how “demonstrably false” should be determined.

“Yes. But they can’t put the genie back in the bottle,” Powers replied. “Once it’s out, it’s out there. And so, if the problem is that, ‘Oh, people aren’t going to be able to upload things that Republicans are saying,’ maybe Republicans should stop saying it, right? Is that not the solution to the problem? So, I think that — look, I support free speech, and I don’t think we want to silence political speech. But this company does have responsibility. And that’s not a violation of free speech to say, ‘We’re not going to allow you to upload information that is demonstrably false.’”

Powers’s comments are in stark contrast to her stated support for free speech as she once authored a book titled: “The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech.”

For YouTube’s part, the new policy is a drastic change from its previous crackdown on alleged misinformation about the 2020 election.

“The ability to openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven assumptions, is core to a functioning democratic society—especially in the midst of election season,” YouTube wrote in a statement on June 2.

The platform admitted that its previous “curtailing” of free speech did little to prevent “real-world harm.”

“In the current environment, we find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm,” YouTube wrote.

Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.