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In any vibrant democracy, the cornerstone of true freedom is the ability to express one’s self without fear of retribution or intimidation. As we are all too aware, our democracy is in immediate distress. It is under siege and being incessantly assailed by nefarious forces as is evidenced by those who have been intentionally targeted and silenced by social media platforms.
Such is the case for the Jewish Voice. Several years ago, the Jewish Voice had a highly significant amount of followers and subscribers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Due to the fact that the Jewish Voice has been subjected to the loathsome practice of shadow banning on all social media platforms, interested parties can no longer subscribe to our accounts. By preventing those interested from accessing Jewish Voice news and commentary, the enigmatic figures in the “Deep State” have effectively silenced, quashed and de-amplified the vital service that the Jewish Voice provides every day.
Enter the new Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino. Thus far, she has taken great pride in announcing that Twitter usage hit its highest level in months one day last week, the same week competitor Meta Platforms rolled out Threads.
“Don’t want to leave you hanging by a thread… but Twitter, you really outdid yourselves!” she wrote Monday afternoon in a tweet. “Last week we had our largest usage day since February. There’s only ONE Twitter. You know it. I know it.”
Threads, the text-based social media platform created by Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, had its debut July 5, becoming available earlier than expected.
While this may sound like the ultimate social media battle for supremacy in cyberspace, it does not address a more pressing issue and that of course is ensuring that all users have a right to express themselves as outlined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Why isn’t Ms. Yaccarino leading the noble crusade to grant access to everyone who wishes to speak on Twitter? Why isn’t she sitting down with Elon Musk to craft a nuts and bolts plan to fulfill the promises that Musk made when he purchased Twitter.
As victims of the practices of social network giants, we had welcomed the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk. We looked forward to his restructuring that organization to reflect what it once was, a platform that was open to all to voice any opinion. That included perspectives on the political climate or any views that an individual or party felt was important and vital.
We, as a publication, believe in the freedom of expression. We print the truth. Our news articles are a reflection of reality. Our “Letters” section is open to all our readers’ views and opinions. Our editorials are of course, statements of our feelings, interests and values. We draw a thick line between the two. But for social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook to slant and even censor the news, goes too far.
As this society slides into the abyss of totalitarianism, let us be reminded of the perilous consequences that this holds for all who embrace democracy, justice, freedom, liberty and the truth. History has recorded that in societies where censorship reigns supreme and those who do not subscribe to or march lock step with the draconian doctrines of the ruling powers are harassed and even terrorized, then the freedoms of all are jeopardized in the most heinous of manners.
We, as a publication, believe in the freedom of expression. We print the truth. Our news articles are a reflection of reality.
We, at the Jewish Voice, as victims of censorship, firmly believe that the rest of the world needs more freedom online. We remember the days of the Soviet Union’s publication, Pravda, which was the laughing stock of the world. Such censorship and partisan style reporting presents the greatest threat to our democracy. The rest of the world needs more freedom of expression in the media. And we will be the first to fight for the right to free and open speech.
