Ben Shapiro confronts corporations responsible for censorship.
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro Exposes Powerful Entities Trying to Censor Information
In the first episode of his new YouTube series, “Facts,” Ben Shapiro reveals the efforts of influential organizations to control media and dictate what is considered “safe” for advertising.
“There’s a group of people who control what you are allowed to see, the news you read, the videos you watch, the posts you engage with. You haven’t heard of them. You don’t know their names, but they determine through methods, both direct and indirect, whether you are allowed to be exposed to particular messages. Their decisions can bankrupt companies, silence voices, and fundamentally shift cultural norms,” Shapiro explains.
Shapiro highlights the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), which represents 90% of global marketing communications, and the World Economic Forum as the driving forces behind this censorship campaign.
In 2019, the WFA formed the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), which became a flagship project of the World Economic Forum. GARM aims to address harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetization through advertising.
Notable members of GARM include Meta, ABInBev, American Express, Kellog’s, Microsoft, Merck, Snapchat, The Walt Disney Company, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
GARM has also established the Brand Safety Floor and Suitability Framework, which defines content not appropriate for advertising support.
“Think of brand safety as a dog whistle for censorship,” Shapiro says. “In other words, if you publish content that violates these guidelines, you will be blacklisted from 90% of the advertising revenue in the marketplace.”
One organization aiding advertisers in meeting GARM standards is NewsGuard, which claims to identify misinformation inappropriate for advertising support. However, NewsGuard has faced criticism for favoring left-wing media companies and downplaying the credibility of certain theories, such as the COVID lab leak theory.
These guidelines for regulating misinformation have even affected independent content creators. Shapiro mentions his friend Matt Walsh, who was demonetized on YouTube and TikTok for expressing views that contradict the approved narrative.
The partnership between GARM and the WFA has raised concerns among lawmakers. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan has subpoenaed officials from both organizations, suspecting potential antitrust law violations.
The ultimate goal of these initiatives, according to Shapiro, is to control information and limit people’s exposure to certain ideas.
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