Tucker Carlson has taken aim at liberal bias at big tech companies after Twitter flagged one his posts as ‘potentially sensitive’ and YouTube warned viewers one his videos may be ‘inappropriate or offensive to some audiences’.
In a withering monologue on his Fox News program Friday night, the outspoken conservative raged: ‘The left’s goal is to make dissent invisible and therefore irrelevant. Meanwhile, these same tech companies make it very easy for 12-year-olds to watch hardcore pornography. They have no problem with that at all.’
‘But political views they disagree with? No. Gone with the Wind’? Too scary. Tells you everything about what they care about and who they are.’
The drama began last week, when Carlson took to Twitter to share a segment from his program which mocked Seattle’s new police-free Capital Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).
Producers on his program had created a satirical tourism advertisement promoting the CHAZ, which stated in part: ‘It’s the anarchist utopia you never knew you needed!’
The ad then mocked the area’s protesters, graffiti and portable toilets, by contrasting chaotic scenes with a soundtrack featuring relaxing holiday music.
‘Look at all the things you’re missing out on – luxury accommodations and thought-provoking artworks for the intellectual types,’ the narrator of the satirical segment continued, as the camera panned over dilapidated tents and crude signs saying ‘F**k the police’.
After Carlson posted a satirical clip to Twitter last week, moderators quickly hid it behind a warning which read: ‘The following media includes potentially sensitive content’
After Carlson posted the satirical clip to Twitter last week, moderators quickly hid it behind a warning which read: ‘The following media includes potentially sensitive content’.
Viewers are now forced to click ‘view’ if they want to watch the clip, rather than have it play automatically.
That enraged Carlson, who sarcastically stated on his program Friday: ‘I want to apologize if you found what you just saw, hateful, disgusting, or if you were traumatized by watching it.
In a withering monologue on his Fox News program Friday night , Carlson accused big tech of censorship and liberal bias
‘Twitter’s very concerned you might be. We posted that fake ad on Twitter. Twitter flagged it as potentially sensitive content’ and then they hid it from view.
‘What were they saying? They were saying, “Beware, keep your kids from watching this.” What’s the justification for warning people of that? We have no idea,” Carlson said. “Probably that it’s edited video. Of course, they never flag a clip from The Onion or The Daily Show [a liberal news program hosted by Trevor Noah]. Obviously, you know why.’
Carlson then referenced the fact that the opening monologue from his June 1 broadcast now comes with a warning for viewers watching it on YouTube.
The 26-minute video, titled ‘Our Leaders Dither As Our Cities Burn’ has now been flagged as a ‘GRAPHIC VIDEO’ and potential viewers must sign in to YouTube with an email address to confirm their age before watching it.
‘The following content has been identified by the YouTube community, whatever that is, as inappropriate or offensive to some audiences,’ Carlson said on his Friday show.
‘By offensive, they mean that the left doesn’t like it. And that is the new standard. And there’s only one response under that standard: Silence the person who disagrees with you.’
Carlson then referenced the fact that the opening monologue from his June 1 broadcast now comes with a warning for viewers watching it on YouTube
‘That’s why censorship is now everywhere. It’s why the tech companies started censoring the president. It’s why they’re getting more and more aggressive in silencing you,’ he continued.
It’s not the first time the firebrand broadcaster has hit out at big tech censorship.
Earlier this week, Carlson slammed Google over its threat to demonetize The Federalist, a right-wing news outlet, over reader comments on its stories.
Carlson has frequently complained about big tech on his popular Fox News program
The Federalist was listed in an NBC story written by a journalist who contacted Google in regards to a list of 10 American websites a British think tank had deemed racist.
In the NBC story, a Google spokeswoman was quoted as saying it had ‘removed the site’s ability to monetize’.
Later, Google said it had never demonetized The Federalist – which is run by Meghan McCain’s husband – and that it got in touch to address something in the website’s comments section that violated standards.
Now that the comments section has been removed, Google said, the matter was ‘addressed’.
President Trump is also a prominent critic of big tech – accusing them of censorship and bias.
Last month, he signed an Executive Order on Thursday ‘Preventing Online Censorship’ – with the Commander-in-chief accusing social media giants of holding ‘anti-conservative bias’.
The Order could open Twitter, Facebook and Google up to lawsuits by diluting the legal protection which stops them from being liable for posts on their platforms, and which also allows them to moderate content.
Trump’s Executive Order said websites such as Twitter and Facebook ‘wield immense, if not unprecedented, power to shape the interpretation of public events’. Twitter said the order was a political move which attacked free speech.