Ben Shapiro SCHOOLS House Committee on Big Tech Censorship

Summary

The speaker addresses a trust crisis in media due to legacy media's alleged bias towards left-leaning narratives, exemplified by recent events involving President Biden. They argue that despite this, legacy media maintains advertising revenue due to an informal pressure system involving Democratic legislators, advertisers, and brand safety organizations like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). This system, they claim, favors left-wing media and stifles conservative competitors, leading to calls for Congress to investigate and uphold free speech principles.

Takeaways

• 📰 The speaker asserts that there is a trust crisis in media due to legacy media's alleged bias and misinformation.
• 🤔 The speaker questions why legacy media continues to thrive despite a loss of public trust, suggesting an informal pressure system.
• 🚫 The speaker claims that Democratic legislators and the White House are creating a system that favors left-wing media in advertising.
• 💡 The speaker explains that conservative media outlets are labeled as 'dangerous' by legacy media and political allies to suppress their growth.
• 🗣️ The speaker cites specific instances where politicians have pressured social media platforms to censor or control content.
• 🛡️ The speaker discusses the role of third-party organizations like the Global Alliance for responsible Media (GARM) in setting brand safety standards.
• 🚷 The speaker argues that GARM's standards are subjective and used to marginalize conservative viewpoints.
• 📉 The speaker shares personal experiences of how their media outlet has been affected by these standards, including significant drops in visibility.
• 📈 The speaker highlights the financial implications of not adhering to GARM's standards, making it difficult for non-compliant businesses to operate.
• 🇺🇸 The speaker calls for the defense of the First Amendment rights, suggesting that the Congress should investigate the relationships between media cartels and government agencies.
• 🛑 The speaker concludes by urging an end to government coercion of private companies to censor speech, emphasizing the importance of upholding free speech principles.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the script regarding the media?

The main issue discussed is the trust crisis in the media, where legacy media organizations are accused of lying to preserve left-leaning narratives, leading to a loss of trust among the public.

Why do some Americans not trust the media according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, some Americans, particularly non-Democrats, do not trust the media because of instances where the media has allegedly lied or misrepresented information to uphold certain political narratives.

What is the 'informal pressure system' mentioned in the script?

The 'informal pressure system' refers to an unspoken arrangement created by Democratic legislators, the White House, legacy media advertisers, and brand safety organizations, which ensures that advertising dollars flow only to left-wing media.

How does the speaker explain the continued market share of legacy media despite the loss of trust?

The speaker suggests that legacy media continues to gain share in the advertising market because of an informal pressure system that favors left-wing media, ensuring their financial stability.

What role does the Global Alliance for responsible Media (GARM) play according to the script?

GARM is portrayed as a cartel that sets brand safety standards which are used to determine what content is safe for advertising. The speaker argues that these standards are subjective and used to marginalize conservative viewpoints.

Why does the speaker believe that conservative media outlets are being targeted?

The speaker believes conservative media outlets are targeted because they challenge the narratives preferred by GARM and its members, which are allegedly aligned with left-leaning ideologies.

What incident involving Joe Rogan is mentioned in the script?

The incident mentioned involves Joe Rogan stating that he took Ivermectin after getting COVID-19, which led to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pressuring Spotify to take action against misinformation.

What is the speaker's view on the role of government in regulating free speech?

The speaker argues that government officials are overstepping their bounds by pressuring private companies to censor speech that they find objectionable, which the speaker sees as a violation of free speech principles.

What actions does the speaker suggest Congress should take in response to the issues raised?

The speaker suggests that Congress should investigate the arrangements between censorship cartels like GARM and executive branch agencies, and also stop engaging in violations of free speech principles.

How does the speaker describe the consequences for media outlets that do not conform to GARM's standards?

The speaker describes that media outlets not conforming to GARM's standards face being deemed 'not brand safe,' which can lead to a significant reduction in advertising revenue and effectively throttle their business.

What is the speaker's stance on the current state of free speech in the media?

The speaker is critical of the current state of free speech in the media, asserting that there is a coordinated effort to suppress conservative viewpoints and calling for a defense of the First Amendment.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Media Trust Crisis and Censorship Allegations

The speaker addresses a committee, expressing gratitude for kind words and suggesting that despite institutional obstacles, they would be doing better. The main theme revolves around a 'trust crisis' in media, where legacy media outlets are accused of perpetuating left-leaning narratives through dishonesty. The speaker cites President Biden's health and mental fitness as an example of media misinformation. The crux of the argument is that despite a loss of public trust, legacy media continues to dominate the advertising market due to an informal pressure system involving Democratic legislators, the White House, advertisers, and brand safety organizations. This system allegedly ensures advertising dollars flow only to left-wing media, and conservative competitors are painted as dangerous. The speaker details how this pressure impacts social media platforms and uses specific examples, such as YouTube's treatment of Daily Wire and Spotify's response to Joe Rogan's Ivermectin statement, to illustrate the point. The speaker concludes by calling for a defense of the First Amendment and suggests two ways Congress can address the issue: by investigating the connections between censorship cartels and government agencies, and by refraining from violating free speech principles.

05:01

🔍 Government's Role in Media Censorship

In this paragraph, the speaker accuses elected officials of pressuring private companies to censor speech, which they argue is a violation of the First Amendment. The speaker points out that while the First Amendment was intended to protect individuals from government censorship, some members of Congress are instead exerting pressure on private entities to suppress viewpoints they disagree with. The speaker calls for an end to this practice, citing recent examples of such actions and emphasizing the importance of upholding constitutional and democratic values. The speaker urges the committee to recognize and stop these coercive campaigns against free speech, asserting that the non-legacy media has been negatively affected by these actions.

Keywords

💡Trust Crisis

Trust crisis refers to a situation where the public's confidence in an institution, such as the media, is significantly eroded. In the video, the speaker discusses the trust crisis in the media, suggesting that legacy media outlets have lost the public's trust by promoting narratives that favor a particular political stance. The example of President Biden's health and mental fitness being misrepresented by the media is given to illustrate the depth of this crisis.

💡Legacy Media

Legacy media refers to traditional news outlets that have been established for a long time, such as newspapers, television, and radio. The speaker criticizes legacy media for allegedly lying to preserve left-leaning narratives, which has contributed to the trust crisis mentioned. The term is used to contrast with newer, often more conservative, media outlets that the speaker represents.

💡Institutional Obstacles

Institutional obstacles are systemic barriers within an organization or society that hinder progress or change. The speaker implies that without such obstacles, presumably those created by political bias or regulatory restrictions, their business would perform better, suggesting that these obstacles are negatively impacting the media landscape.

💡Advertising Market

The advertising market is the economic sector where advertising services and space are bought and sold. The speaker argues that despite the loss of trust, legacy media continues to gain share in the advertising market due to an informal pressure system that favors left-wing media, highlighting the economic implications of the trust crisis.

💡Partisan

Partisan refers to someone who is strongly committed to a particular political cause or party. In the video, the term is used to describe the alleged bias of the legacy media and the pressure system that favors left-leaning narratives, suggesting that this partisanship is a key factor in the trust crisis.

💡Brand Safety

Brand safety is the practice of ensuring that advertisements are placed in environments that will not harm the brand's reputation. The speaker discusses how brand safety organizations, like the Global Alliance for responsible Media (GARM), set standards that effectively censor certain viewpoints, thus impacting the free speech of non-legacy media outlets.

💡Cartel

A cartel is an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition. In the context of the video, the speaker uses the term to describe GARM, suggesting that it operates as a restrictive group that controls the flow of advertising dollars to media outlets that align with its political preferences.

💡Censorship

Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. The speaker argues that censorship by social media platforms and adherence to GARM's standards are stifling free speech and diversity of opinion in the media.

💡First Amendment

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the freedom of speech, religion, and the press from government censorship. The speaker calls for the protection of this amendment, arguing that government officials and legislators are engaging in coercive campaigns against free speech by pressuring private companies to censor certain viewpoints.

💡Misinformation

Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information that is spread, regardless of whether it is intentional or not. The speaker points out that the term is being used by some officials to justify censorship of views they disagree with, rather than focusing on preventing the spread of objectively false information.

💡Coercive Campaign

A coercive campaign is a strategy that uses force or threats to achieve a desired outcome. The speaker accuses certain government officials and legislators of engaging in coercive campaigns against free speech by exerting pressure on private companies to censor content that does not align with their political views.

Highlights

Chairman Jordan and ranking member Nler discuss the trust crisis in media due to legacy media's preservation of left-leaning narratives.

The claim that President Biden's health and mental fitness were questioned as 'cheap fakes' by legacy media, which was later contradicted by his public performance.

The ongoing issue of Americans' distrust in media, particularly among non-Democrats, due to perceived dishonesty.

The existence of an informal pressure system created by Democratic legislators, the White House, legacy media, advertisers, and brand safety organizations to favor left-wing media.

The role of the Global Alliance for responsible Media (GARM) in setting brand safety standards that may indirectly censor conservative viewpoints.

The impact of government threats on social media platforms, leading to increased content enforcements against conservative media.

Examples of how conservative media, such as the Daily Wire, have been affected by these pressure systems and brand safety standards.

The subjective nature of GARM's brand safety standards, which can be used to marginalize or suppress conservative narratives.

The call for Congress to investigate the arrangements between censorship cartels like GARM and executive branch agencies.

The Daily Wire's federal lawsuit against the State Department for alleged involvement in censorship arrangements.

The argument that Congress should stop violating free speech principles and refrain from pressuring private companies to censor speech.

Examples of government officials participating in coercive campaigns against free speech, as highlighted by specific statements made by them.

The assertion that the First Amendment was intended to protect against government censorship, not to enable workarounds by elected officials.

The plea for the protection of the First Amendment in the context of democracy and the importance of stopping current practices.

The impact of these issues on non-legacy media and the call for change in the name of the constitution and democracy.

Transcripts

chairman Jordan ranking member nler

members of the committee good morning

first of all ranking member nler I

appreciate the kind words about our

business it's very kind of you and also

I assume that we'd be doing a lot better

without the institutional obstacles that

I'm about to discuss we're in the midst

of a trust crisis in the world of media

which is because so many in the Legacy

Media have lied in order to preserved

left-leaning narratives to take just the

most recent example we were told by the

Legacy Media that President Biden was

just fine for years anyone who

questioned his health and mental Fitness

was trafficking in cheap fakes and then

President Biden went out and engaged in

a full- scale mental collapse on stage

in front of hundreds of millions of

people so we can see why Americans at

least Americans who are not Democrats do

not trust the media the question isn't

really why the Legacy Media have lost

Americans trust we know that answer the

question is why despite that loss of

trust the Legacy Media continue to gain

share in the advertising market and the

answer is simple there is in fact an

informal pressure system created by

Democratic legislators this White House

Legacy Media advertisers and pseudo

objective brand safety organizations

that system guarantees that advertising

dollars flow only to left-wing media

Brands let me explain how this works

when a conservative competitor to the

Legacy Media arises members of that

Legacy Media and their political allies

rush to paint such competitors as

dangerous the commentator Caris Swisher

of the New York Times for example told

the head of YouTube that my videos at

Daily wire were a quote gateway drug

that would lead children including her

own teenage son to watch Neo-Nazi

content never mind Thea elected

Democrats pick up that same messaging in

2017 Senator Diane Feinstein told

lawyers at Facebook Google and Twitter

quote you created these platforms and

now they're being misused and you have

to be the ones to do something about it

or we will social media companies react

to incentive structures including

threats they've responded by adopting

the standards of thirdparty left-wing

informational safety groups like The

Global Alliance for responsible Media or

garm garm purportedly sets brand safety

standards objective standards by which

advertisers and platforms can supposedly

determine just what sort of content

ought to be deemed safe for advertising

in reality garm acts as a cartel it's m

account for 90% of AD spending in the

United States almost a trillion dollars

in other words if you're not getting ad

dollars from G members it's nearly

impossible to run an ad-based business

and if you're not following their

preferred political narratives the ones

that Caris swier and Diane Feinstein

would follow you will not be deemed

brand safe your business will be

throttled we at Daily wire have

experienced this firsthand in 2017 after

Senator Feinstein made her threats to

bring the weight of government down on

social media platforms dailywire YouTube

channel saw 1,000% increase in content

enforcements over a 2-year period since

2021 after Democrat officials further

turned up the heat on social media

companies my personal Facebook page has

seen an over 80% drop in Impressions or

take Joe Rogan when Joe said that he had

taken Ivermectin after getting Co White

House Press Secretary Jens saki

pressured Spotify to take action stating

quote we want every platform to be doing

more to call out Missin disinformation

while also uplifting accurate

information Spotify complied Spotify of

course works with garm so what are the

brand safety standards that garm uses

the standards begin with inarguable

things that we've heard from the other

Witnesses like preventing distribution

of child sexual abuse material or

stopping terrorism but garm doesn't draw

the line at what is criminal abusive or

dangerous their standards also include

restrictions on hate speech harassment

misinformation or my personal favorite

insensitive irresponsible and harmful

treatment of debated sensitive social

issues those criteria are highly

subjective in theory and they are purely

partisan in practice for example last

year dailywire host Matt Walsh was fully

demonetized on YouTube aarm member why

for quote unquote misgendering which to

garm is to say that men are not women

perfectly obvious facts now run a foul

of G's censorship standards companies

targeted by garm like the daily wire

breit Bart Fox News and so many others

reach hundreds of millions of people

with opinions and beliefs long

established as within the mainstream of

American conservative thought garm and

its members have no respect for the

beliefs of those people they would like

them marginalized or squashed it's time

to stand up for the first amendment in

this Congress Congress can do so in two

ways first Congress must investigate the

informal and perhaps formal Arrangements

between censorship cartels like garm and

executive branch agencies the daily wire

has already filed a federal lawsuit

against the state department for

allegedly doing just this second

Congress can itself stop engaging in

violation of free speech principles two

weeks ago writing in descent in merthy

versus Missouri Justice Alo condemned

what he called sophisticated and

coercive government campaigns against

Free Speech members of this committee

have engaged in precisely such campaigns

when Congressman Schiff speaks about

targeting social media companies that

must be quote pulled and dragged into

this era of corporate responsibility

because they are too tolerant of

misinformation he knows what he is doing

he is participating in a sophisticated

coercive campaign against Free Speech

when congresswoman jaul blames social

media for placing America at the quote

precipice of a democratic crisis and

calls on them to Target they deem hate

groups she also knows what she is doing

she is participating in a sophisticated

coercive campaign against Free Speech

when Congressman Hank Johnson says quote

we need a constitutional amendment to

allow the legislature to control the

so-called Free Speech rights of

Corporations he also knows what he is

doing we all know what these government

actors what some people in this room are

doing you're using the tcid threat of

government action to compel private

companies to throttle viewpoints you

don't particularly like the first

amendment was not designed to enable

work rounds by elected official it was

directed at Congress at you and you're

abdicating your fundamental Duty when

you exert pressure on private companies

to censor speech some in this room have

been doing just that for years we in the

non- Legacy Media have been feeling the

effects in the name of the constitution

in the name of democracy this should

stop