In the sultry days of summer 2020 as Donald Trump contemplated a second term, his aides engaged in a quiet conversation with members of the emerging digital media about an audacious idea.
Read MoreTag: bias
Commentary: 2024 Is the Year of Our Reckoning
We should remember the now modern proverb of Nixon-era economic advisor Herb Stein to the effect that what cannot go on (without destroying the nation), simply will not go on.
Read MoreRepublican Candidates Need Not Apply: Media Tracker’s New Study Shows Just How Politically Biased Google’s Search Results Are
Google has long been accused of suppressing conservative speech, but a new study shows the internet search engine giant is playing favorites with Democrats in the 2024 presidential race.
By typing in just one query, “Presidential campaign websites,” Google returned only Democratic Party candidates — some of whom are not even running in 2024, according to Media Research Center, the media watchdog and parent of conservative news site NewsBusters, which is “committed to exposing and combating liberal media bias.”
Read MoreCommentary: The Clear and Present AI Danger
Does artificial intelligence threaten to conquer humanity? In recent months, the question has leaped from the pages of science fiction novels to the forefront of media and government attention. It’s unclear, however, how many of the discussants understand the implication of that leap.
In the public mind, the threat either focuses narrowly on the inherent confusion of ever-better deep fakes and its consequences for the job market, or points in directions that would make a great movie: What if AI systems decide that they’re superior to humans, seize control, and put genocidal plans into practice? That latter focus is obviously the more compelling of the two.
Read MoreFBI Keeps Getting Burned by Reliance on Liberal Sources
A dossier alleging Russian collusion funded by a Democrat presidential candidate. A suggestion that school parents were domestic terrorists from a left-leaning school board group. A list suggesting old-fashioned Catholics were extremists from a liberal watchdog on hate speech.
Three triggers for investigation. Three blunders that left America’s premier law enforcement agency reeling with a black eye.
Read More‘Twitter Files Part 4’ Details How Platform Changed Policy Specifically to Ban ‘Trump Alone’
The fourth entry in the ongoing “Twitter Files” series of explosive revelations dropped on Saturday night, with part four in the series focusing on the removal of Donald Trump from the popular social media platform in early 2021.
The latest thread, published by writer Michael Shellenberger, details the process that “Twitter executives” took as they were “build[ing] the case for a permanent ban” against the former Republican president.
Read MoreTwitter Removes Warning Flag on ‘Just the News’ Ballot-Harvesting Story After Direct Appeal to Musk
Twitter has removed its warning label on a post from the account of Just the News editor-in-chief John Solomon about his story on a whistleblower alleging ballot harvesting in Florida, following Solomon’s direct appeal to the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk.
Solomon made the post Thursday that included a link to his interview with the whistleblower. The label was put on the post Friday, and as of Monday morning, it was no longer there.
Read MoreElon Musk Vows to Review Why Just the News Story Was Censored
Twitter owner Elon Musk on Sunday said he would “look into” why a story from Just the News about election ballots was marked as “unsafe” on the social media platform.
“I will look into this. Twitter should be even-handed, favoring neither side,” Musk tweeted early Sunday morning in response to Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, who posted the Just the News article, “Election ‘misinformation’ policing returns as Twitter flags JTN ballot harvesting report.”
Read MorePayPal Reverses Course, Withdraws Policy That Would Have Fined Users for ‘Misinformation’
In a censorship experiment gone awry, PayPal reversed course Saturday night and said it was withdrawing a new policy that would have allowed the company to fine users $2,500 if they spread “misinformation.”
The company sent a statement to the National Review saying the Acceptable Use Policy had been sent out mistakenly,
Read More‘Leftist Mindset’: DeSantis Rips Hochul, Crist for Treating Republicans Like ‘Second-Class Citizens’
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida blasted Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida for attacking Republicans during a Saturday night Fox News appearance.
“We’ve got so much support in Florida, and it’s not because people have hate in their hearts,” DeSantis told “Unfiltered” host Dan Bongino. “They are thankful we saved their jobs. Mothers are thankful we kept their kids in school and senior citizens are thankful we provided medication for them, and so I think that he really put his foot in his mouth. But I think people like Hochul and Crist are representative of this leftist mindset and they do believe that the conservative half of the country are effectively second-class citizens.”
Read MoreCommentary: Our Incredible, Unbelievable Media
Here is what we’re talking about when we talk about the media “Narrative.”
A 10-year-old girl in Ohio was raped and impregnated. According to the doctor who performed the girl’s abortion in nearby Indiana, the girl could not obtain the procedure in her home state because of a law that cuts off abortions after six weeks. The girl, supposedly, was three days too late to have an abortion in the Buckeye State.
It sounds like the perfect story for the post-Roe era, which is why practically every news outlet on the planet picked it up. See! See, Americans! This is what your Christofascist Supreme Court has done! Are you happy now?
Read MoreCommentary: Why I Stopped Donating to Harvard, My Alma Mater
This year, for the first time since graduation some two decades ago, I did not donate to either of my alma maters. Like many of you, I have become disillusioned with the illiberalism on many college campuses and could no longer support them with an annual gift. While higher education has historically tipped to the political left, the gap has widened in recent decades. Analyzing data on faculty ideological leanings, the American Enterprise Institute reported that “in less than 30 years the ratio of liberal identifying faculty to conservative faculty had more than doubled to 5.”
At Harvard, where I attended graduate school, the faculty political imbalance is particularly striking. According to a 2021 survey by The Harvard Crimson, the college newspaper, out of 236 faculty replies only 7 people said they are “somewhat” or “very conservative,” while 183 respondents indicated that they are “somewhat” or “very liberal.” A similar problem plagues my undergraduate college, Bowdoin.
The absence of my meager donations won’t matter to the colleges I attended, each of which has billions of dollars in endowment money. But big alumni donors at some leading universities are using their influence to improve free thought and inquiry on college campuses.
Read MoreCommentary: Why I Stopped Donating to Harvard, My Alma Mater
This year, for the first time since graduation some two decades ago, I did not donate to either of my alma maters. Like many of you, I have become disillusioned with the illiberalism on many college campuses and could no longer support them with an annual gift. While higher education has historically tipped to the political left, the gap has widened in recent decades. Analyzing data on faculty ideological leanings, the American Enterprise Institute reported that “in less than 30 years the ratio of liberal identifying faculty to conservative faculty had more than doubled to 5.”
At Harvard, where I attended graduate school, the faculty political imbalance is particularly striking. According to a 2021 survey by The Harvard Crimson, the college newspaper, out of 236 faculty replies only 7 people said they are “somewhat” or “very conservative,” while 183 respondents indicated that they are “somewhat” or “very liberal.” A similar problem plagues my undergraduate college, Bowdoin.
The absence of my meager donations won’t matter to the colleges I attended, each of which has billions of dollars in endowment money. But big alumni donors at some leading universities are using their influence to improve free thought and inquiry on college campuses.
Read MoreWikipedia Moderators Are Debating Removing an Article About Communist Mass Killings for ‘Bias’
Wikipedia moderators are currently considering removing an article titled “mass killings under communist regimes” over concerns of “bias.”
The article was flagged for deletion in September 2021 due to the “neutrality” of the article being disputed in addition to concerns over the “verifiability” of claims made in the article and whether it contained information already available in other areas of Wikipedia, according to a notice posted on the article.
Read MoreFacebook Employees Actively Censored Conservative Websites, Even in Defiance of Managers
A series of new leaks from Big Tech giant Facebook has revealed even more bias against conservatives from the company’s employees, even to the point of causing internal debates between employees and upper management, according to the New York Post.
The latest leaks come from message board conversations reviewed by the Post, which showed back-and-forth discussions within Facebook about how to deal with conservative news outlets during last year’s race riots by far-left domestic terrorist organizations such as Black Lives Matter and Antifa.
Some employees expressed their desire to completely remove sites such as Breitbart from Facebook’s “News Tab” feature. When one such employee asked a manager about doing so, the manager responded by pointing out that “we saw drops in trust in CNN 2 years ago,” before rhetorically asking “would we take the same approach for them too?”
Read MoreNPR Will Now Allow Journalists to Take Part in Partisan Activist Demonstrations
National Public Radio this month said its reporters will now be permitted to take part in public partisan demonstrations and activist events of which the news service approves.
In a revision of its internal ethics handbook, the outlet said that its journalists may now participate in “marches, rallies and other public events” from which they were previously barred.
Read MoreConservative Sorority Student Banned over TikTok Video Says Louisiana State University Ignored Her Bias Complaint
After her sorority at Louisiana State University kicked her out, Emily Hines says the school ignored her request for the incident to be investigated for possible bias.
Alpha Phi, a Greek Life organization independent of LSU, revoked Hines’ membership in April over her TikTok video that criticized Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine for her transgender identity. The seven-second video featured the Bee Gees’ song “More Than a Woman.”
Despite being told that the organization does not side with political views,” Hines told The College Fix she believes the decision was politically motivated.
Read MoreREPORT: Biden’s Education Department Has Closer Ties to Critical Race Theory Group Than They Admit
The Biden administration called it an “error” to promote a critical race theory (CRT) activist group’s guide in a Department of Education (DOE) handbook meant for use in over 13,000 public school districts on reopening recommendations and policies, Fox News reported.
The activist group, Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN) has connections to at least two high-ranking officials in the Biden administration’s DOE, Fox News reported. It is unclear why ATN was mentioned in the April 2021 handbook and who added the link.
The Biden administration DOE backtracked on the promotion and its link to the group in a statement to Fox News Wednesday which said, “The Department does not endorse the recommendations of this group, nor do they reflect our policy positions. It was an error in a lengthy document to include this citation.”
Read MoreEducation Department Civil Rights Nominee Rejects Presumption of Innocence for Accused Students
The Biden administration’s nominee to lead the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights told a Senate committee Tuesday that a year-old Title IX regulation does not require the presumption of innocence for students accused of sexual misconduct.
The claim drew bafflement from critics of Catherine Lhamon, who held the same job in the Obama administration’s second term.
In response to threats from Lhamon to pull their federal funding, colleges lowered evidentiary standards and enacted policies that treat accusers more favorably than accused students. Courts have been steadily reining in those practices, sometimes citing the pressure from Lhamon’s office as evidence of bias.
Read MoreMajor School District in Virginia Eyes ‘Anti-Racism’ Instead of Questioning Assumptions
Parents in one of the nation’s largest school districts are being asked about how schools should teach their children about systemic racism, “multiple identities,” and ways to “challenge power and privilege.”
Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools sent a survey Thursday to parents and teachers seeking input about the school system’s future “anti-racism” and “anti-bias” policy.
“One key strategy to achieve educational equity is to analyze and address the beliefs and policies that inform teaching practices along with what is taught in schools,” Schools Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand said in an email message introducing the survey to parents and teachers.
Read MoreANALYSIS: DOJ Investigators Involved in Antitrust Probe Don’t Appear to be Scrutinizing Claims of Bias in Google’s Search
by Peter Hasson and Chris White Department of Justice investigators who are conducting an antitrust probe targeting Google do not appear to be scrutinizing claims that the tech giant manipulates its search function, leaks about the probe and a source familiar with it indicate. Google critics argue that Google…
Read MoreWalz Launches ‘Bias and Discrimination’ Helpline for Reporting Incidents to the State
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that his office has created a “discrimination helpline” amid “rising reports of discrimination from the Asian American community.”
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan claimed that America has a “distinct pattern” of “increased discrimination during uncertain and trying times, of needing someone to blame.”
“This is unacceptable and, as Minnesotans, we must work to break this cycle,” she added.
Read MoreCommentary: Democrats Hoist Their Own Petard
Since at least 2016, CNN has mostly ceased being a news agency, but that hasn’t stopped it from being an active participant in #TheResistance. The network is so caught up in the fervor of this movement that many of its guests and regular hosts have been fired, reprimanded, or apologized for threats to the president or general obscene references (e.g., Reza Aslan, the late Anthony Bourdain, Kathy Griffin).
Read MoreApple’s Digital Assistant Siri Told Users Israel’s Reuvin Rivlin Was the ‘President of the Zionist Occupation State’
by Chris White Apple’s voice-controlled assistant told the big tech company’s customers Saturday night that Israel President Reuvin Rivlin is the leader of the Zionist occupation state.” Someone changed Rivlin’s Wikipedia page to describe Israel’s president as the “main child of Israel,” Israel’s i24 News reported Saturday. Apple and Google often rely…
Read MoreOklahoma State Professor Sues, Alleging ‘Systemic,’ Career-Damaging Bias Upon Her Return From Serving in the Trump Administration
Whitney Bailey’s career at Oklahoma State University was going great – until the professor accepted an appointment to the Trump administration.
Read MoreFacebook’s Zuckerberg Responds After Media Reports Show He Discussed Free Speech with Conservatives
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Monday that he met recently with conservative pundits recently to get a “wide range of viewpoints” from people ahead of the 2020 election.
Read MoreCommentary: Like It or Not, War Is coming to the Right
A coalition between the Democratic Party and left-wing militants is coming into view, manifesting as a combined arms approach of state and non-state actors working to suppress political dissent. It is paradoxically authoritarian and anti-establishmentarian, using law enforcement bureaus to effect their designs while simultaneously placing officers and agents in harm’s way.
Read MoreGingrich Calls the New York Times’ ‘1619 Project’ to Inform Americans of the Country’s ‘True’ Founding, ‘Embarrassing’
Some conservatives and journalists condemned The New York Times following its “1619 Project” that “aims to reframe the country’s history.”
Read MoreFlowchart Tells Non-Minority Students They Could Be ‘Taking Up Space’
A diversity orientation presentation for law students at the University of South Dakota encourages non “minitorized” voices to consider whether or not they are “taking up space” when they contribute to a discussion. This comes just weeks after the South Dakota Board of Regents announced an investigation into the existence of liberal bias in the diversity offices of state schools.
Read MoreAfter Repeatedly Assailing President Trump as ‘a Racist,’ a Washington University Professor Says Her ‘Lack of Neutrality’ in Classroom ‘Silences Some of My Conservative Students’
Ingrid Walker, a professor at the University of Washington-Tacoma, tweeted in July about her own “lack of neutrality” in the classroom regarding politics, recognizing and admitting that she knows her conservative students are “silenced.”
Read MoreProfessor Finds Lower College GPAs Among Conservatives Compared to Liberals
Research finds that conservatives on average earn higher GPAs and test scores in high school, but ultimately receive lower GPAs in college when compared to their liberal classmates, at least partly due to liberal ideological bias. This grade discrepancy is even more evident in the humanities and social sciences, as compared to the more objective STEM fields.
Read MoreResearcher: Facebook Algorithm Changes Suppressed Journalism
Facebook’s News Feed algorithm determines what users see on its platform – from funny memes to comments from friends. The company regularly updates this algorithm, which can dramatically change what information people consume.
As the 2020 election approaches, there is much public concern that what was dubbed “Russian meddling” in the 2016 presidential election could happen again. But what’s not getting enough attention is the role Facebook’s algorithm changes play, intentionally or not, in that kind of meddling.
Read MoreCommentary: Google’s Algorithms Threaten Free and Fair Elections
In the wake of the dumpster fire that was the Mueller hearings this week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s reputation was left in ashes, the Democrats are covered in soot, and the Russian collusion fairytale is toast. The Democrats’ impeachment hopes are also dead, whether they choose to believe it or not. But the question of election meddling remains very much a vital topic of discussion, just not in the way Democrats and the leftist corporate media would like.
Read MoreCommentary: We Need a Higher Education Reformation
by Emina Melonic American higher education, once the envy of the world, is suffering a crisis of confidence and a loss of purpose. “Once upon a time, universities were institutions dedicated to the pursuit of truth and the transmission of the highest values of our civilization,” writes New Criterion editor and publisher Roger…
Read MoreCommentary: Manipulating Science in the Data Age
by Robin Burk Who are you going to believe – my academic paper/editorial/meme or your lying eyes? It’s a pressing question in today’s world of artificial intelligence, machine learning, faked videos, and tendentious scientific claims – and particularly pressing in light of ambitious, far-reaching policy proposals based on data…
Read MoreMike Huckabee Calls For Prosecution Of Politically Biased FBI Agents
by Nick Givas Former Republican Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called for the prosecution of politically biased FBI agents, on “Fox & Friends” Monday, and said the agency needs to clean house. “I think, you know, at some point, somebody’s got to take a good Dyson vacuum cleaner to go…
Read MoreMinnesota House Report Thinks ‘Implicit Bias’ Training Should Occur More Often Than ‘Harassment’ Training
The Research Department of the Minnesota House of Representatives found in a recent survey that 20.4 percent of staffers and 19.7 percent of members have “experienced or witnessed” something “that could be described as sexually harassing behavior.” However, when asked who they have “seen subjected to sexually harassing behavior,” the…
Read MoreHarvard Bias Trial to Spotlight Use of Race in College Admissions
A lawsuit challenging the use of race as a factor in U.S. college admissions will go to trial in Boston on Monday, when Harvard University will face accusations that it discriminates against Asian-American applicants. The lawsuit, backed by the Trump administration, could eventually reach the Supreme Court, giving the newly…
Read MoreA New Campus Invention for Policing Speech
by Dan E. Way Colleges are using a new tool with the frightening potential to shut down open dialogue. They go by the benign-sounding name of “bias response teams.” Bias response teams monitor what students and faculty say. They encourage students to report, often anonymously, comments or behavior that…
Read MoreNBC’s Chuck Todd Tries To Rally The Troops Against Trump And Fox News
by Nick Givas NBC’s “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd urged his fellow journalists to hit back against attacks on the media and blamed Roger Ailes and President Donald Trump for the public’s negative view of the press. Todd played the victim and compared being a journalist today to…
Read MoreAnalysis: Why NYT’s Latest Attempt To Scare Readers About Global Warming Is A ‘Waste Of Time’
by Michael Bastasch – The New York Times teamed up with climate scientists to produce a graphic purporting to show an increase in hot days. – However, it’s not actually showing that, but instead TheNYT’s graphic shows an average based on climate models. – When compared to the observed temperature record,…
Read MoreHow Censorship by Facebook Reinforces This Writer’s Point on Liberals’ Intolerance
by Mike Gonzalez Less than a third of the way into his upcoming book on nationalism, Israeli philosopher and scholar Yoram Hazony warns about the growing censorship constricting debate in Western societies when the opinion in question runs counter to the views of politically correct liberalism. Facebook wasted no time…
Read MoreRepublican Rep. Gaetz Threatens Twitter with FEC Complaint Over Twitter Suppression, Claims Twitter May Be Giving Opponent Illegal Advantage
by Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson – Twitter’s recent algorithm change suppressed, or “shadow-banned,” prominent conservatives, including Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a new report found. – Gaetz is considering filing a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against Twitter, he told The Daily Caller News Foundation. – Gaetz said…
Read MoreTwitter Suspends Conservative Pundit Kathleen McKinley For Opposing Trans In Military, Tying ‘Extreme Muslim Beliefs’ To Honor Killings
by Peter Hasson Kathleen McKinley, a conservative blogger and political commentator for a local Fox station in Houston, was surprised Friday to find an email from Twitter announcing her account had been suspended. Twitter listed two tweets that it claimed violated rules against “hateful conduct,” emails that McKinley shared with…
Read MoreJC Bowman Commentary: Exposed in a Technological Age
An old and wise saying challenges us to: “Believe nothing you hear, half of what you read, and some of what you see.” It is critical to examine issues from all angles, rejecting gossip, mistruths, bias or information not supported or misinterpreted. Put what you see or read into proper context to make sure what you think you are seeing is factual.
Read MoreFacebook Removes Death Threats Toward Republicans After Florida Representative Matt Gaetz Called It Out
by Kyle Perisic Facebook removed a page Tuesday that posted incitements to violence and implied death threats after a Republican lawmaker called the company out. During a hearing Tuesday with representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida asked Facebook’s Head of Global Policy Management Monika…
Read MoreCalifornia Congresswoman Says There’s No Bias Against Conservatives In Tech – Here’s Why She’s Wrong
by Kyle Perisic A Democratic congresswoman said on Tuesday that conservatives and Republicans’ concerns over bias on the Facebook, Google, and Twitter platforms are unjustified. Here’s proof she’s wrong. Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California said at a hearing addressing political discrimination against conservatives and Republicans on Facebook, Google,…
Read MoreSeven Takeaways From FBI Agent Strzok’s Testimony Before Two House Committees
by Fred Lucas A joint hearing of two House committees Thursday repeatedly turned testy as FBI agent Peter Strzok sought to explain away text messages sharply critical of Donald Trump and how they did not affect the fairness of the FBI investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential…
Read MoreFBI Official Peter Strzok Testifies About Anti-Trump Text Messages
by Masood Farivar A top FBI official at the center of controversy over alleged political bias at the bureau said on Thursday that his private views about President Donald Trump did not influence his actions as the lead investigator on the Hillary Clinton email investigation team. Testifying publicly for the…
Read MoreCommentary: Democrats’ Anti-Catholic Bigotry On Kavanaugh Will Cost Them In November
by George Rasley That the Democratic Party has become the party of the anti-religious Far Left was confirmed way back in 2012 when delegates to the Democratic National Convention jeered the mention of God and struck all reference to him in their platform. However, until recently, as smart politicians…
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