A writer for a pro-free speech outlet cited exclusive MRC research to urge state and federal lawmakers to take action to prevent election-interfering censorship collusion.
The Biden administration, private organizations, and Big Tech have all coordinated to censor speech and influence elections, argued Daniel Cochrane, a senior research associate for the Tech Policy Center at The Heritage Foundation, in a commentary column for The Daily Signal. Cochrane recommended that Congress and state officials demand transparency and investigate the alleged collusion, including potential election law violations.
“According to a recent report from the Media Research Center, at least 45 of the [private anti-speech] groups collected $80.8 million between 2016 and 2022 from liberal financier and philanthropist George Soros,” Cochrane wrote.
He also highlighted the bias of media ratings firm NewsGuard, citing MRC Free Speech America research. “Analysis from the Media Research Center found that NewsGuard rates liberal media outlets 27 points higher on average for trustworthiness than conservative outlets,” Cochrane explained.
Unless action is taken, the “sins of 2020” election interference will be repeated, he insisted. For instance, over 200 groups have already published a letter pressuring social media to censor free speech. They included the 45 groups highlighted by MRC as Soros funded.
Cochrane specifically called out NewsGuard, as noted above, along with the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), which blacklists conservative sites online. NewsGuard and GDI have both formed partnerships with tech giant Microsoft, though Microsoft suspended its GDI subscription.
Besides its tech ties, NewsGuard previously received a $750,000 Defense Department grant, seemingly making it a government proxy. Back in 2020, NewsGuard co-CEO Steven Brill falsely labeled the Hunter Biden laptop a “hoax perpetrated by the Russians.” Censorship of the Hunter Biden scandal shifted the 2020 election in Biden’s favor, an MRC survey found.
Cochrane cited examples of government-tech coordination, including the FBI resuming “disinformation” talks with social media and the Arizona Secretary of State creating a position to report posts to platforms for censorship.
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 using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
