Twitter Bans RT and Sputnik Advertising
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
It disgracefully targeted both media companies, based on spurious accusations of Russian interference in last year’s US presidential campaign - RT and Sputnik falsely accused for aiding what didn’t happened.
Accusations surfaced to delegitimize Trump, notably after he triumphed over media darling Hillary - an unindicted war criminal, racketeer and perjurer, unaccountable for her high crimes.
No evidence supports claims of election interference by Russia or any other nations. An unacceptable statement by Twitter said the following:
“Early this year, the US intelligence community named RT and Sputnik as implementing state-sponsored Russian efforts to interfere with and disrupt the 2016 presidential election, which is not something we want on Twitter.”
“Twitter has made the policy decision to off-board advertising from all accounts owned by Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, effective immediately.”
The company acted based on a Big Lie, part of deplorable Russia bashing, a longstanding diabolical plot to marginalize, weaken, contain and isolate the country, a hostile campaign risking direct confrontation.
Ahead of Twitter’s announcement, it said the following in a dishonest and dishonorable letter to RT:
“At Twitter we believe in freedom of expression and in speaking truth to power. We also want to ensure that people feel safe when they interact with our site, and that advertisers bring value to our users.”
On November 1, Twitter, Facebook and Google general counsels will testify before House and Senate intelligence committees involved in witch-hunt investigations into nonexistent Russian US election interference.
There’s nothing damning they can say except perhaps what they’ll invent.
RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan blasted Twitter’s ban on its advertising along with Sputnik’s, saying:
“I never thought that Twitter is under the control of the US security services. It seemed like a conspiracy theory. But now Twitter appears to have admitted it.”
“This is highly regrettable. It is particularly regrettable that now US media operating in Russia will feel the tender response of the Russian authorities.”
Moscow promised appropriate retaliation, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying:
“We consider this an aggressive step that intends to suppress the work of Russian channel RT, which has come about as a result of pressure from the US establishment and security services. Retaliatory measures will naturally follow.”
“We emphasize that preventing Russian media from doing their job, including with the help of security services, is a testament to a crude violation by the United States of international and internal laws that guarantee the freedom of speech.”
In response to Sputnik asking me to comment on this issue, I said the following:
Social media platforms are supposed to be politically neutral. The same goes for major media reporting.
Their commentaries and editorials are spaces for opinions. They should be based on facts, not fiction.
RT and Sputnik observe these standards, why large audiences follow their reports. Western media operations are polar opposite, mocking legitimate journalism.
Social media like Facebook, Twitter and Google increasingly act as gatekeepers, censoring truth-telling on vital issues they irresponsibly call fake news.
They changed their advertising policy to counter alleged disinformation, indicating they’ll monitor content to assure it.
Their policy amounts to censorship, reliable information sources challenging the official narrative targeted. Digital democracy in America and the West is threatened, the last frontier of free and open expression.
Accusations of Russian interference in last year’s presidential election were fabricated. Not a shred of evidence supports them.
Nothing was hacked or interfered with. DNC and Hillary campaign emails were leaked by a DNC insider to WikiLeaks.
Russia didn’t interfere in America’s election or any others. Washington interferes in foreign elections repeatedly. US media ignore what goes on.
Dissent in America is endangered. Views critical of US policies could be criminalized, writers like myself vulnerable if this happens.
Hardline dark forces in Washington control policymaking.
It’s increasingly belligerent and repressive at home and abroad - a reckless slippery slope toward possible political or military dictatorship the way things are going, along with the threat of catastrophic nuclear war.
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
