Stop Blocking Us!

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

I now make my living by releasing short videos on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I assumed you who subscribed to my feed or became Facebook “friends” would receive that video every Tuesday.

Wrong! Turns out social media companies send our posts to only some of our friends. (That’s why I ask for your email address. Then they can’t cut us off.)

Why might they cut us off?

One reason is that we’d drown in a fire hose of information if they showed us everything. The companies’ algorithms cleverly just send us what the computer determines we’ll like.

Another reason may be that the companies are biased against conservative ideas.

They deny that. But look at their actions. Social media companies say they forbid posts that “promote violence,” including ones that encourage violence offline.

But antifa groups that promote violence still have accounts. The Twitter account of the group in Portland, Oregon, that recently beat up journalist Andy Ngo, leaving him with brain damage, is still up.

“In Austin, they were calling for a paramilitary operation!” says Glenn Beck. That antifa group’s Facebook account is also still up, even though it links to a manifesto calling for opponents to be “beaten bloody.”

In my newest video, Beck, who runs a big media operation called The Blaze, says social media companies push a leftist agenda.

“They manipulate algorithms to reshape our world.”

Beck himself hasn’t been banned, but he says Facebook limits his reach, putting him in a “digital ghetto.”

“They’re shaping you,” he warns.

Is it true?

Although I’m not a conservative, sometimes I do notice odd things happening with my posts.

On average, my videos get more than a million views. But when I did one that criticized Facebook, that video got half as many views.

Because Facebook didn’t show it to many people?

I can’t know. Facebook won’t say.

Today, social media companies are pressured to cut off anyone spreading hate. In response, YouTube and Facebook say they now even demote content that almost violates policies.

But those antifa accounts are still up.

By contrast, Beck says, conservative accounts are censored merely for making fun of Democrats.

“Remember the person who slowed down (a video of House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi?” he asked.

The video made Pelosi sound drunk. It went viral, but once Facebook got complaints, the company announced it “dramatically reduced its distribution.”

When Facebook did that, notes Beck, “The person in charge happened to be one of the leaders in Nancy Pelosi’s office who had just left to go to work for Facebook.”

I told Beck that Facebook hires some Republicans. “They do,” he replied, “but only about 20%, and not in top level positions.”

The site Spinquark did the research Beck cites, finding dozens of Democratic campaign workers who now work for social media companies.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg once invited Beck and some others to come to his offices to talk about bias.

“I sat with him and he said, ‘Why would we do that?’ And I said, ‘I want to believe you, but your actions don’t match.'”

Beck was also unhappy with conservatives at that meeting. “Some said, ‘Mark, solve this by having affirmative action. … For every liberal you hire, hire a conservative.'”

“I don’t want that!” Beck said. “We don’t need more regulation!”

We don’t.

But it’s human nature, when people see a problem, to demand government do something.

Beck himself fell prey to that when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed she saw border guards telling migrants to drink water from toilets. On his radio show, Beck said government should “prosecute anyone making outrageous charges like this!”

I gave him a hard time about that. “You want prosecution of members of Congress who say nonsense?!”

Beck laughed and quickly walked his statement back. “John, I speak five hours off script every day. … There’s a lot that I vomit out.”

The solution?

“No censorship,” says Beck.

“Publish everything?” I asked.

“Yes!” answered Beck. “We can handle it. Stop treating us like children.”

I agree. On at least some platforms, all speech should be free. The more that is blocked, the less we learn.

25 thoughts on “Stop Blocking Us!”

  4. Your work is amazing please dont stop especially now the media has become this horrible biased machine that wants to control or create the narrative. The tech sector wants to be our authoritarian overlords wiping thier ass with our constitutional rights. An Unelected oligarchy. Thank you for your unbaised thought provoking stories. You show both sides and let the viewer come up with the answer themselves. You have always done this in your career. I get my news from independent real journalist like tim pool and yourself. We need you. And thank you

  5. I have enjoyed John Stossel since his days at 20/20. Keep the fight you always give an unbiased report and let us decide for our self’s which is what free speech is supposed to be about.

  7. Thank you for letting me know about what is happening with your posts. I resent anyone trying to “tell me what to read and how to think”. Keep up the good work and keep us alert!

  9. They try very hard, but they can’t keep U.S. apart. Myself, I do not ” like ” or respond to most of what I read on my feed unless it’s personal. Less as the yrs go on. I also think many conservatives spend less time here than before. Keep truthing. We’re listening.

  11. You are my favorite journalist and been for a long time. I love and spread your work. Fight the good fight.

  12. Keep up the good work! Love your informative, unbiased information…..refreshing…….!!

  15. Can’t the free market make a competitor to Facebook that allows all content? Wouldn’t that be the market solution?

  19. Thank you most of all for humility and acknowledging that you don’t always know what’s right. I wish our politicians were as humble.

  22. Now I know way I was no longer seeing you new videos on youtube. Ever since the 80’s You Sir are not afraid to talk, say the Truth. Thank You.

  23. I don’t buy their ‘algorithm’ excuse. I’ve been a conservative most of my voting life, never even close to a progressive. I know that I’m not getting all of the notifications of sites that I subscribe to because I find them elsewhere later. But I do get ‘recommendations’ for progressive sites and videos that I’ve never visited. If they think that they’ll change my outlook with this they are more stupid than I originally thought.

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