This week brought further developments in the Biden administration’s ongoing war against alternative media in the United States just days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation promised “more searches” of figures connected to Russian media.
The US Justice Department brought charges against two Russian media executives Wednesday, accusing them of not disclosing their support for a Tennessee-based media company that published edgy viral videos.
Lawmakers in Washington have moved to more aggressively attempt to mold the content and tenor of online discourse after former President Donald Trump’s surprise victory in 2016. Allegations of “misinformation” took center stage during the Covid-19 pandemic; more recently, pro-Israel legislators have urged greater oversight after pro-Palestine views spread on platforms favored by young people such as TikTok.
“I think that we have to situate all of this in context,” said attorney and DD Geopolitics host John Jackman on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Thursday. “There's a very important election coming up and the lead up to the November elections are really a critical moment for our political class, for both the Democratic and Republican parties, to preserve the legitimacy of the institutions that they rely on.”
“In particular the Democratic Party is concerned that Donald Trump will potentially win the election again,” he continued. “But I think that this is even a bigger and more existential issue than this, actually. Of course, we saw these charges brought under the guise of protecting against Russian disinformation. But I argue that this is really nothing more than a blatant attack on the very vision of freedom of speech and freedom of the press that American people actually once fought and died for.”
Freedom of expression is among the most cherished concepts in the American political consciousness. The First Amendment to the US Constitution lists a number of rights considered most important by the country’s founders, including freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of speech and the press. Such values constitute a cornerstone of Americans’ self-perception as a democracy, a principle they frequently aim to spread across the globe by threat of force.
But the last several years have seen the US government signal an increasing concern over the political discourse in the United States, with Congress increasingly urging large social media platforms to more aggressively police content. Meanwhile anxieties have grown over independent and alternative media outlets like Sputnik and The Grayzone, which has been the target of several attacks by the Washington Post.
“The overarching narrative from the White House, from the US government, has been one to enact a significant chilling effect on Americans who are willing to just speak the truth or willing to go on programs like this to talk about the core issues facing American society,” said Jackman, “really getting to the heart of what's happening in this country.”
“At the core of it, what we're seeing is that there's so many Americans today who are becoming aware that the government is unwilling or incapable of just addressing those fundamental issues and the everyday needs of Americans, “ he continued. “So what they're really looking to do is to stomp out a unified American voice that is pushing for more democracy with the total suppression and exploitation of democratic forces. And these latest charges from the DOJ are doing just that.”
“Many Americans woke up today not sure about how to conduct their speech online. It basically diverts people from being able to push narratives that actually challenge imperialism, that actually challenge the hegemony of the ruling class in this country, and instead shows people that if you're willing to stick your neck out like this, then we just might come after you, too. And that's clearly the message that it sends.”