The Media Research Center today launched a new initiative to stop Big Tech’s election interference. The MRC sent a letter to congressional staff to collect a comprehensive report of lawmakers censored by Big Tech.
MRC Free Speech America in October found that social media companies censored GOP congressional lawmakers at a rate of 54-1 compared to congressional Democrats.
Big Tech censored 18 different members of Congress from July 17, 2020, through Jan. 3, 2022, when the most recent instances of congressional censorship were recorded by CensorTrack. Social media platforms censored 17 Republicans and one Democrat, according to CensorTrack data.
Instances of censorship included YouTube’s removal of a video of a panel on vaccine mandates and injuries posted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI); Twitter’s censorship of Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) for “misgendering” Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Rachel Levine; and, YouTube’s censorship of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) after he posted a video protesting the platform’s suppression of alternative COVID-19 perspectives.
“It's time to stop Big Tech from interfering in our elections!” MRC Founder and President Brent Bozell tweeted Jan. 19. “Starting today, we are launching a comprehensive effort to address the censorship of members of Congress, their key staff and campaigns. If you've been censored, tell us at CensorTrack.org.”
Here is the letter MRC sent to congressional offices:
Dear Senior Staffer:
The Media Research Center is working on a comprehensive analysis of social media censorship against members of Congress, their staffs and campaigns. And we need your help to hold Big Tech accountable to our democratic process and make them stop putting themselves between your congressperson and the voters. We need your help on the Free Speech America Congress project.
The MRC’s Free Speech America division is launching the project in conjunction with our CensorTrack.org effort to quantify Big Tech censorship for all of Congress. Whether your congressperson is a Democrat, Republican or Independent, we want to track ALL instances of Big Tech censorship.
Here’s what we are looking for:
- Contact us at censor@mrc.org with screenshots if your congressperson or any of the following have experienced Big Tech censorship online
○ Official campaign account
○ Official government account
○ Chief of staff
○ Press secretary
○ Spokesperson
- Be sure that you take advantage of the platform’s appeal process immediately. But still let us know either way.
- Big Tech platforms guilty of censorship may include, but are not limited to:
○ Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok
○ The Google or Apple app stores
○ Content sites like Substack, MailChimp or Medium
○ Web hosting services such as Amazon Web Services or BlueHost
○ Financial websites like Square, GoFundMe, PayPal, Patreon and individual banks
○ Event hosting sites such as Eventbrite.We will be putting out reports with our findings, and will be tracking every incident in our CensorTrack.org database. In addition, we will be able to share links with you on Twitter to everything that we publish about your incident.
We appreciate your time and attention. Please let us know if we can help, and please let us know if you’ve been censored. Big Tech should not be allowed to suppress your free speech online, and we are here to help.
We appreciate your help,
Dan Gainor
Vice President
Free Speech America
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 “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the CensorTrack contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
