Articles by Oliver JJ Lane via Breitbart News
Censorship
For years we’ve been told everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values. Everything from our Ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defence of democracy. But when we see European courts cancelling elections and senior officials, threatening to cancel others, we have to ask if we are holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard. And I say ourselves because I fundamentally think we are on the same team. We must do more than talk about democratic values, we must live them.
Media
Microsoft Drops USAID-Funded NewsGuard After Ted Cruz Starts Digging
“Big Tech is finally beginning to recognize the censorship of conservative viewpoints will no longer be tolerated by the American people,” Cruz, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement to Newsmax on Thursday.
Censorship
Analysis USAID and George Soros’ Foundation Bankrolled a News Outlet That Spurred the First Trump Impeachment
Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger has highlighted USAID’s funding for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a news outlet that also receives funding from Soros’ Open Society Foundations and that has attacked conservatives.
Censorship
USAID Funded Massive ‘News’ Platform, Extending ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’ To Billions Worldwide
USAID has pushed nearly half a billion dollars ($472.6m) through a secretive US government financed NGO, “Internews Network” (IN), which has “worked with” 4,291 media outlets, producing in one year 4,799 hours of broadcasts reaching up to 778 million people and “training” over 9000 journalists (2023 figures). IN has also supported social media censorship initiatives.
Legal
Virginia Teacher Reinstated after Being Fired for Her Christian Views on Gender
Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the district asserting that the First Amendment, Title VII and Virginia law protect teachers who speak on public matters in a personal capacity.
“… As interpreted by the Supreme Court of Virginia, … [the teacher] has the right in her capacity as a citizen to freely speak and write regarding her religious views and political views as they are informed by her faith — and neither she nor any other teacher of [the school district] may be penalized for speech expressed in a private capacity — whether that speech takes place pre-employment, or during employment but in a private capacity,” read the letter.
Censorship
Mark Zuckerberg Wants Us to Forgive, Forget Facebook’s Sins
Zuckerberg and Meta leadership concealed the overtly political motives of their censorship for years.
Only after the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Zuckerberg in contempt did the company fully cooperate with the investigation and produce all evidence of Meta’s collusion with various government entities like the White House and the FBI.
Censorship
If You Wanted Proof DEI Is a Cudgel to Silence Opponents, Look No Further
While the SPLC touts the virtues of “diversity,” it actively seeks to quash diversity of opinion by demonizing those who dissent from its leftist agenda. It brands conservatives who want to enforce immigration law “anti-immigrant hate groups.” It brands advocates for religious freedom “anti-LGBTQ hate groups.” It brands parental rights groups such as Moms for Liberty as “anti-government extremists.”
Media
New FCC Chair Turns the Spotlight on Publicly Funded NPR, PBS
NPR and PBS, both of which receive federal funding, “could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” FCC chairman Brendan Carr wrote in a Wednesday letter to NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
Media
Final Nail in Legacy Media Coffin? WH Opens Press Corps to Alternative Media, Social Media Influencers, and Podcasters
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the White House Press Corps is now open to voices and influencers who aren’t part of the legacy media cartel — further legitimizing popular podcasters, alternative media outlets, and social media influencers who dominated the narrative of the 2024 presidential election. The White House’s move puts them on par with, if not above, the legacy media.
AI
How Microsoft Helped Build The Censorship Industry
Newly uncovered evidence now shows that Microsoft served as the tip of the spear in the private sector in censorship-industrial complex – the coordinated effort between corporations, government agencies, NGOs and academics to restrict American speech.
