{"id":1582959,"date":"2022-08-01T14:33:01","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T18:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1582959"},"modified":"2022-08-01T14:33:18","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T18:33:18","slug":"epoch-times-editorial-board-condemning-twitters-censorship-and-thanking-our-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epoch-times-editorial-board-condemning-twitters-censorship-and-thanking-our-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"Epoch Times Editorial Board: Condemning Twitter\u2019s Censorship and Thanking Our Supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fepoch-times-editorial-board-condemning-twitters-censorship-and-thanking-our-supporters%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1582959&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span>As an independent news organization dedicated to reporting the truth, The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-epoch-times\">Epoch Times<\/a> has been subjected to excessive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-censorship\">censorship<\/a> by Big Tech.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the latest such incident, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-twitter\">Twitter<\/a> on July 28 censored all of our content by putting up a blockade to our website, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/twitter-censors-all-content-from-the-epoch-times_4631372.html\"><span>describing it as \u201cunsafe,\u201d<\/span><\/a><span> and encouraging users not to proceed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Twitter\u2019s actions\u2014just like those by other tech giants such as Facebook and YouTube\u2014specifically targeted the reach of our independent news and video content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Twitter hasn\u2019t responded to multiple requests for comment and appeal, nor has the company explained what led it to censor our content or what caused it to lift its blockage two days later following a public outcry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The move by the social media giant came less than a week after we published our new documentary \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/the-real-story-of-jan-6-documentary_4596670.html\"><span>The Real Story of January 6<\/span><\/a><span>\u201d and on the same day posted <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/trafficking-survivor-eliza-bleu-how-my-abuser-preyed-on-my-vulnerabilities_4628629.html\"><span>an interview with sex trafficking survivor Eliza Bleu<\/span><\/a><span>, on our program \u201cAmerican Thought Leaders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While it remains unclear why Twitter targeted us, what is clear is that The Epoch Times is different from most other major news organizations, in that we dare to follow the stories where the facts lead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In our Jan. 6 documentary, our reporters take an unvarnished look at the events of that day and present new witnesses and evidence that challenge the prevailing narratives. It provides extensive evidence of excessive use of force by police that broke protocol and policy, and raises questions on the lack of security that day. So far, the documentary has received more than half a million views on our EpochTV platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In recent years, there have been other major stories on which The Epoch Times, because of our independence and adherence to traditional journalism, has differed from other major news organizations, only to be proven right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For example, The Epoch Times <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/spygate-the-inside-story-behind-the-alleged-plot-to-take-down-trump_2833074.html\"><span>reported<\/span><\/a><span> accurately on events surrounding allegations that then-candidate and later President Donald Trump had colluded with Russia. From day one, The Epoch Times reported on the facts and through our reporting uncovered significant problems with the FBI\u2019s probe of Trump\u2019s campaign, which included problematic conduct involving surveillance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While other news organizations won Pulitzers for their articles suggesting collusion between the president and Russia, The Epoch Times was, in fact, correct in reporting that the allegations had no support\u2014as confirmed through investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller and the Department of Justice inspector general, as well as the ongoing probe of the origins of the FBI\u2019s investigation by special counsel John Durham.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Epoch Times was also among the first to report on the possibility that the novel coronavirus was leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/documentary-tracking-down-the-origin-of-wuhan-coronavirus_3313091.html\"><span>Our April 2020 documentary<\/span><\/a><span> on the subject was censored by Facebook. Today, a lab leak is now held as the most likely explanation for the spread of the virus, by both media organizations and many government officials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The dangers of allowing platforms such as Twitter to take on the role of arbiter of the truth is that they, in many cases, are plainly wrong. The most prominent example was Twitter\u2019s suppression of the New York Post over its reporting on a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, the son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This censorship behavior, which is antithetical to the protections Big Tech receives under Section 230, has also raised concerns about social media platforms censoring content on behalf of the government. Most recently, a federal judge <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/this-is-the-government-colluding-with-big-tech-ag-jeff-landry-on-the-first-amendment-lawsuits-hes-leading_4632683.html\"><span>ordered the government to cooperate<\/span><\/a><span> in a lawsuit that alleges behind-the-scenes efforts to target the dissemination of information of stories related to COVID-19\u2014including its possible origins and alternative treatments\u2014that didn\u2019t fit the government\u2019s narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cGovernment can\u2019t outsource its censorship to Big Tech,\u201d Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Public Outcry<\/h2>\n<p><span>The public outcry against Twitter\u2019s censorship of The Epoch Times was swift, with three U.S. senators publicly questioning the platform\u2014which in recent years has repeatedly found itself in hot water for acts of censorship\u2014over its targeting of the news organization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenRubioPress\/status\/1553095309605195776\"><span>demanded<\/span><\/a><span> that Twitter \u201cexplain itself for this outrageous act of censorship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenRickScott\/status\/1553160948113965056\"><span>asked<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201cWhere\u2019s the respect for free speech and freedom of press, Twitter?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe all remember your biased censorship of [the New York Post] and how that ended for you,\u201d Scott said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenRonJohnson\/status\/1553114169943236609\"><span>described<\/span><\/a><span> the action by Twitter as \u201calarming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTwitter is censoring [The Epoch Times] under the guise of \u2018unsafe\u2019 speech. Remember what happened the last time corporate media and big tech tried to censor my investigation on Hunter Biden corruption?\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe truth always prevails.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinRobertsTX\/status\/1553366952516648960\"><span>described<\/span><\/a><span> Twitter\u2019s action as \u201can outrageous act of censorship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrJBhattacharya\/status\/1553212870095122432\"><span>called out<\/span><\/a> <span>Twitter\u2019s suppression, writing: \u201cIt is perfectly safe to click through to the [Epoch Times] site in the quote tweet. For some reason, Twitter decided that today was a good day to suppress access to Epoch Times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sex trafficking survivor Bleu, who was among the first to notice the censorship by Twitter due to its blockage <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/trafficking-survivor-eliza-bleu-how-my-abuser-preyed-on-my-vulnerabilities_4628629.html\"><span>of her interview with<\/span><\/a> <span>EpochTV\u2019s program \u201cAmerican Thought Leaders,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elizableu\/status\/1552830200391630851\"><span>posted a video<\/span><\/a><span> condemning the platform\u2019s actions that went viral.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It also created a stir among Twitter users, with many condemning the platform\u2019s actions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Epoch Times wants to thank everyone who spoke out against this latest instance of censorship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We will keep reporting the only way we know how, rooted in our tagline Truth &#038; Tradition, without favor or fear. The fight for truth is one that has no shore and that is as old as the ages. We believe that only with brave individuals going the distance and striving to record the truth of what happens, can the world have an accurate picture of events and history.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-the-epoch-times-editorial-board\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As an independent news organization dedicated to reporting the truth, The Epoch Times has been subjected to excessive censorship by Big Tech.\u00a0In the latest such incident, Twitter on July 28<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1583049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1582959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1582959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1583049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1582959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1582959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1582959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}