The latest episode of the InfluenceWatch Podcast examines the efforts by both the Biden and Trump administrations regarding online censorship policies. The discussion centers on how the Biden administration implemented several government-wide initiatives, some of which were public and formal, such as promoting union organizing, while others were less visible. One such initiative was an online censorship regime that, according to critics, was quietly established.
Dan Schneider from Media Research Center’s Free Speech America project joined the podcast to discuss these developments. The conversation included analysis of how the Trump administration has responded to these censorship policies and addressed the closure of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center.
According to Schneider, “The Biden administration pursued a number of ‘whole of government’ initiatives to advance the Everything Leftism that its staff brought with them into government. Some, like the initiative to promote union organizing, were highly publicized and formal. But others, like the online censorship regime the administration’s operatives sought to build, were more quietly constructed. With a new administration in town, how goes the deconstruction of that online censorship regime? Joining me today to discuss the Biden administration’s censorship regime, the Trump administration’s response to it, and the closure of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center is Dan Schneider of Media Research Center’s Free Speech America project.”
Media Research Center has published reports detailing what it describes as 57 separate censorship initiatives under President Biden’s leadership (https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/free-speech/curtis-houck/2024/03/21/mrcs-censorship-industrial-complex-report-exposes-57-biden). These reports allege widespread efforts by federal agencies and their partners aimed at limiting speech on digital platforms.
The episode also referenced recent discussions about dismantling parts of this bureaucracy within government departments (https://www.state.gov/secretary-rubios-live-conversation-with-mike-benz-on-dismantling-the-censorship-bureaucracy).
Further context about media ratings organizations involved in debates over free speech can be found through resources like InfluenceWatch’s profiles on Ad Fontes Media (https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/ad-fontes-media/) and NewsGuard (https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/newsguard/), both entities known for evaluating news sources’ reliability.
Capital Research Center continues its research into organizations engaged in or supporting what it calls “the Left’s Censorship Industry” (https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-lefts-censorship-industry/), providing background for listeners seeking additional information on this topic.
