In a recent revelation by the Media Research Center (MRC), Free Press, a media organization funded by liberal billionaire George Soros, is allegedly seeking to leverage international pressure to intensify censorship efforts by Big Tech platforms ahead of the 2024 U.
S. presidential election.
Free Press, which describes itself as a watchdog for decisions shaping the media landscape and a defender of people's rights to connect and communicate, has reportedly received over $80 million from Soros for affiliated groups advocating for increased censorship before the upcoming critical election.
Dan Schneider, MRC Free Speech America's vice president, expressed his concern to Fox News Digital, stating, "One of the wealthiest men in the world is using his vast wealth and power to silence regular Americans ahead of the 2024 election. At a time when defending free speech is key, leftists are trying their best to shut down the voices of half of America, especially those who disagree with the radical agenda promoted by Biden, Soros, and most Big Tech executives."
Joseph Vazquez, MRC associate editor, reported that the Soros-funded media group is spearheading a new initiative to limit free speech online. He cited a recent press release from Free Press, which last month publicized a letter urging executives at various social media platforms to ensure their platforms remain "safe and healthy" in 2024 through six specific "interventions."
The letter, signed by "200 civil-society organizations, researchers, and journalists," according to Free Press, was found by the MRC to have at least 45 signatories who received a staggering $80,757,329 from Soros between 2016 and 2022.
Vazquez wrote, "The document attempted to justify that it was written with reducing real-world harms and the rise of extremism and violent attempts to overthrow democratic governments in mind. However, it appears its true design is to pressure Big Tech companies to silence speech the left despises as 60 countries across the globe gear up for their elections in 2024."
Vazquez further expressed concern over the letter's implication that its primary target is interfering in the 2024 U.S. election. He noted that this development aligns with Soros' brand, who has reportedly dedicated millions of his fortune to groups seeking to interfere in elections by stifling online speech.
The letter requested tech companies to implement "election-integrity policies," enforce rules against election lies and hate in political advertising promptly, require disclosure of AI-generated political content, and improve transparency and enable civil-society oversight of enforcement practices by regularly sharing virality and enforcement reports, among other things.
Vazquez also highlighted the disturbing vision of one of Free Press's founders, Robert W. McChesney, who once wrote, "Our job is to make media reform part of our broader struggle for democracy, social justice, and, dare we say it, socialism."
The MRC report further delved into the signatories of the letter and their financial backing. The signatory that received the most Soros funding, according to MRC's tally, was Global Witness, a group focused on climate change that has previously pressured Facebook and TikTok to ramp up censorship operations before the 2022 midterm elections.
"The Soros empire funded the group with a massive $20,338,270 between 2016 and 2022," Vazquez wrote. "The groups digital threats campaign, for example, is specifically focused on pressuring governments to regulate speech on social media."
The MRC also discovered that another signatory, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, received over $3 million from Soros between 2017 and 2022. This leftist group was recently implicated in a House Judiciary Committee investigation for co-authoring a hate groups blacklist with the Soros-funded Global Disinformation Index (GDI) targeting conservative and faith-based organizations.
Vazquez concluded his report with a warning, "Americans beware. The Soros network is coming after your free speech just in time for the U.S. elections again."
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