OPINION:
Conservatives of the country, in the face of a damaging report that shows just how deep the pro-leftist slantings of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Google run, have banded together to fight online censorship.
Strength in numbers seems to be their order of the day.
“Conservatives Against Online Censorship will draw attention to the issue of political censorship on social media,” a fact sheet from the newly formed 14-group-strong coalition read. “This new coalition will urge Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube to address … four … key areas of concern.”
Among: Transparency; clarity of what constitutes “hate speech”; equality between liberals and conservatives — particularly when it comes to social media partnerships with so-called unbiased groups to root out hateful posts and expressions; and more regard for the First Amendment.
Perhaps this coalition will keep the light shining brightly on these social media outlets, and shame, rather than regulate, them into accepting voices of all ilk — ones that represent conservative as well as liberal, Christian as well as Muslim, limited government as well as pro-government, etc.
The need is evident.
In a recent report titled “Censored! How Online Media Companies Are Suppressing Conservative Speech,” facts were made clear: Twitter staffers have been caught bragging about censoring conservatives; Facebook has been outed for giving preferential treatment to left-leaning outlets in its popular news feed; Google’s been found out for its pro-Hillary Clinton activities; and YouTube has been widely criticized for its seeming random shut-down of conservative channels.
It’s high time these social media companies were called to account for their censorship — and far better than calling on government to crack down and regulate is to tap into the power of the private citizen.
If enough conservatives band together and fight back, via pressure and critical public messaging, then maybe these massive corporate entities will finally listen and realize — hey now, the First Amendment really does swing politically both ways.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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