X CEO Linda Yaccarino pretends to be pro-free speech, but in a new blog post she openly justifies censorship.
Linda Yaccarino was brought from leftist NBCUniversal and the anti-free speech World Economic Forum (WEF) by Elon Musk to be CEO of X (formerly Twitter). In a Jan. 22 blog post, Yaccarino claimed “hate speech” is not free speech, but without defining “hate speech.” Leftists often apply the term to anything with which they disagree. Furthermore, Yaccarino proudly announced that X had censored millions of pieces of content. How does this post fit with Musk’s avowed free speech goals?
Yaccarino’s post began well, championing “information independence” and defending people’s right to make up their minds based on a free exchange of ideas. She also mentioned censorship as holding back progress. She argued that “freedom of speech” and discussions about it are highly beneficial. The X CEO then clarified, however, that she exempts undefined “hate speech” and anti-Semitism from free speech protections.
“Twitter has come a long way, and there’s been a lot of improvement, but it is still not a true free speech zone,” said MRC Free Speech America VP Dan Schneider. “The antidote to hate speech is not censorship, but more free speech. The little lizards in basements will only come out with more vile statements if they’re muzzled, but when held to public scrutiny they’re chastised appropriately.”
Unfortunately, Yaccarino does not seem to hold that same view. “For all the good, there’s also a point when information independence crosses a line too, and that’s hate speech. We must all act now to combat hate as Elon firmly stated during the European Jewish Association's symposium,” Yaccarino wrote. “Sadly, since the October 7th terrorist attack antisemitism and hate speech have accelerated in the world.” While it is encouraging that Yaccarino and Musk are deeply concerned about anti-Semitism, especially in light of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, some anti-Semitic speech is still protected under the Constitution, as not being direct calls to violence. Furthermore, Yaccarino did not stop with anti-Semitism, repeatedly mentioning “hate speech,” but without defining the term.
Yaccarino asserted that “freedom of speech and safety” can exist together, but her following boast about the level of censorship still occurring on X makes her claim somewhat questionable. “Last year we removed millions of pieces of content and suspended just as many accounts that violated our Terms of Service, including Violent speech and Hateful conduct policy,” Yaccarino wrote. “Plus we’ve opened more lines of communication with groups dedicated to the safety of communities both in physical and virtual spaces.”
While Yaccarino might claim to be pro-free speech, this isn’t the first time she has defended censorship. She previously bragged about how X was censoring content to placate advertisers. It is particularly ironic that Yaccarino published this blog post just as her boss Elon Musk condemned a hate speech bill in Ireland that could lead to harsh censorship.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact X at 415-222-9670 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “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.
