At least three times during CPAC, the excellent coverage from Right Side Broadcasting Network was interrupted by disclaimers, breaking away from speeches, and even muting of interviewees. This wasn’t due to them not believing in the message. They self-censored because two topics that are taboo on Big Tech, YouTube in particular, were being discussed.
Before we detail what all went down, let’s be clear about something. I do not blame RSBN for doing what they did. This is a growing business that many people depend on. It’s not just the excellent livestreaming coverage of events pertinent to conservatives, but also families who work at the network. YouTube tyranny is a real thing so discussions of voter fraud or vaccines are surefire ways to get channels banned. I know. Our Freedom First Network channel was hit with strikes over… wait for it… talking about Covid-19 and laying out facts about massive, widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Now, our channel is gone.
RSBN’s biggest source of viewership and income is YouTube by far. Many of us were caught flat-footed when the Big Tech purge of conservatives began. Censorship is not the fault of the censored. We hop on our high horse and say Newsmax should have told Dominion Voting Systems where to shove their lawsuit or RSBM should just move to Rumble, but it’s easier to be bold when it isn’t our own livelihood or the livelihoods of our employees that are on the line.
Okay, that’s my prerequisite anti-rant. Now, let’s look at what was censored. Mike Lindell from MyPillow had his mic muted during an interview. And before you make the assumption as I did that he was probably talking about voter fraud, guess again. He was panning vaccines and face masks this time.
As for voter fraud, RSBM cut away from a panel claiming voter fraud happened. They didn’t do so because they don’t believe it. They did so because of the lawsuits that are popping up against media organizations who allow such claims to be made, plus the aforementioned YouTube problem. Initially, I was peeved by this move, but over the last couple of days I’ve realized my anger towards RSBN was completely misguided. Is self-censoring acceptable if it will save jobs? As ugly of a choice as it is to make, the answer is yes. It’s YouTube and Dominion and Facebook and Google and Democrats and mainstream media and everyone else who is forcing this issue who need to receive our wrath, not the networks who are unfortunately dependent on one or more of these venues that hate us.
We got into this mess because the vast majority of conservatives never though the banhammer would come down on us so hard. We thought that was for the fringe. Guess what? If you’re a conservative, you’re now considered the fringe by Big Tech.
